Our partners at Mercy Corps referenced some research that ODI recently did on real-time resilience measurement and analysis (see paper here) in Myanmar. It’s not everyday that you can track resilience measurement every two months for a panel of 1,200 households.
Good resilience measures can sometimes be a moving target, so any research that can be used to reinforce good thinking and expand beyond static binary is certainly welcome.
The OECD-DAC recently added to its list of evaluation criteria—the de facto norm through which organizations like Causal Design frequently organize evaluations and reporting. Specifically, after a multi-year process of considering how to best adapt its existing criteria, OECD added Coherence: How well does the intervention fit? to the existing and remaining five criteria.
Reactions around our proverbial dinner table were appropriately mixed: How does this further a wider learning agenda? How does this differ from the existing Relevance? (which at times already overlaps with Sustainability) What does “fit” actually mean, and how do we use it, and meaningfully?
USAID released a revised version of its policy on designing and implementing development projects and activities, governed by ADS Chapter 201. This is one of the largest revisions of the ADS in recent years and it includes some significant changes to the way USAID plans to operate its Program Cycle. One single sentence, in particular, stood out to us: All impact evaluations must include a cost-analysis of the intervention or interventions being studied (ADS 201.3.6.4) Economist Kristen Schubert discusses the changes, implications, and challenges for implementing partners…
Over the past twenty years, the use of cash transfers in development and humanitarian interventions has experienced exponential growth. Both evidence and ethics have contributed to its rise. Extensive research has demonstrated how cash transfers can serve as critical lifelines in both acute humanitarian emergencies and more stable development contexts, whilst also providing recipients with […]
The Untapped Potential of Impact Evaluations in Humanitarian Contexts What is the right modality of program delivery? Does anticipatory action prior to a humanitarian emergency have a positive impact on a household’s ability to cope? Which methods are most cost-effective? Which methods lead to the most positive impact on long-term resilience? Are you interested in […]
Evaluating Humanitarian Response in Rapid Onset Crises: The Power of Pre-Positioning Research When it comes to evaluating humanitarian programming and emergency responses, we have a conundrum. The urgency of humanitarian response is widely thought to be at odds with lengthy evaluation processes. In the case of a rapid-onset humanitarian crisis, such as a natural disaster or armed conflict, setting up […]
Building scalable and sustainable food systems presents many challenges along farming value chains – not least of which is the point where our small holder famers interact with agricultural inputs. For an isolated farmer with limited education, making wise choices about farming can be challenging, meaning that many farmers fall short of the mark when it comes to running successful commercial enterprises.
Causal Design & Mercy Corps Partner to Investigate Cash Transfers in Humanitarian Response Last year Causal Design partnered with Mercy Corps to investigate the impact of various operational models for dispersing cash grants after a natural disaster. Specifically, we wanted to see if the frequency of cash disbursements, offering of financial literacy training, or sending reinforcing voice messages had […]
We work with clients who are running poverty interventions in the field. These are not experiments – where the program is designed around an experiment – these are impact evaluations that have to be designed around a development program that has already been designed or is in progress. As such, often times the sample size […]
We are thrilled to announce that Dan Hudner has joined the Causal Design team as our Director of Research. Dan joins us from Mercy Corps where he has served as the Peacebuilding Evaluation Fellow and co-authored research on disaster resilience with Jon Kurtz. Dan combines his expertise in evaluation techniques with experience managing development projects to create […]
