Meta-evaluation and synthesis of Christoffel Blindenmission evaluation reports
On behalf of the Christoffel Blindenmission (CBM), CEval conducted an evaluation and synthesis of 24 evaluation reports from 2016 and 2017. With its mandate to transform the lives of disabled people in the worlds poorest countries the project focus of CBM has been an exhaustive collaboration with as well as the promotion of local partners in developing countries and conflict areas.
The primary purpose of the evaluation and synthesis was to conduct a general assessment of the evaluation reports quality and summarize findings of those reports that pass the quality control. In a first step, to ensure homogeneity of data, the quality of reports was assessed systematically by creating a quality control analysis grid. Reports that fulfil minimum quality standards were then subjected to an in-depth analysis based on the evaluation questions of CBM. Main interest of the synthesis was to drew up general learnings along CBMs mandate areas and examine the actual contribution of joint projects to changes for CBM partners and clients. Lastly, by employing an online survey directed to end users of project evaluations, the evaluation inquired the usage and usefulness of the evaluation reports for CBM staff members in seven world regions.
Meta-Evaluation of Plan International evaluation reports
Plan International is working for many years now in Africa, Asia and the Americas to promote child rights and lift children out of poverty. The German National Office of Plan International was founded in 1989, and has been contributing to funding development projects and programs as well as funding and commissioning external evaluations. Plan International Germany decided to implement a meta-evaluation of evaluation reports conducted between 2013 and 2017 covering all geographical working areas.
The primary objectives of the meta-evaluation were to assess the strengths and weaknesses by analyzing the quality of the evaluation reports, to identify the success and risk factors that may affect their quality and to give recommendations. A particular focus was laid upon the influence of the type of evaluation (i.e. by whom it is coordinated and implemented) and the available resources and timeframe.
The meta-evaluation was based on the analysis of the evaluation reports. The document analysis was structured in two phases. While in the first phase (pre-rating) the completeness of the evaluation reports was assessed, in a second phase (in-depth analysis), a more comprehensive set of quality assessment criteria was applied on a sample of reports, to allow for a more detailed assessment of the validity of their findings and usefulness to their addressees. Comprehensive analysis tools were used to analyze the completeness of the reports as well as the validity of findings and the usefulness of evaluation reports.
Evaluation of APPEAR projects (programme periods I and II)
The Austrian Partnership Programme in Higher Education and Research for Development (APPEAR) is conceived, guided and financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) to implement its “Higher Education and Scientific Cooperation” strategy in support of Higher Education and Research for Development on an academic institutional level. The funded projects are implemented by the Austrian Agency for International Mobility and Cooperation in Education, Science and Research (OeAD GmbH). APPEARs overall objective is to strengthen the institutional capacities in higher education, research and management through Academic Partnerships with Austrian higher education institutions and through scholarships. The partnerships aim to improve the general standards in higher education, research and management by means of knowledge sharing and designing innovative projects. The achievement of these objectives should finally contribute to effective and sustainable reduction of poverty in the partner countries.
The overarching goal of the evaluation was to assess the ongoing and completed projects of the APPEAR periods I and II. Thereby, it provided insights about the projects adherence to the APPEAR guidelines and basic principles during their implementation, and about the extent to which they were to achieve their objectives and results. Furthermore, the projects were assessed according to the OECD/DAC criteria Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact and Sustainability. The objective of the evaluation was to identify the strengths, weaknesses and challenges of the APPEAR projects and present conclusions, lessons learnt and recommendations for the remaining or future projects.
The evaluation made use of a variety of methods. Primary data was collected during project visits to Ethiopia and Uganda, interviews and focus group discussions with project partners in Austria as well as virtual interviews with staff and key stakeholders of two projects in Nicaragua. The data collection instruments also comprised semi-standardized surveys, programme and project documentations and previous programme evaluations.
Program Evaluation “Support in Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Integration in the Field of Quality Infrastructure (QI) in SAARC”
With this regional Project, PTB Germany aims to reduce the technical barriers to trade by fostering cooperation among the SAARC countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Buthan, Maldives, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka) in the field of metrology, accreditation and standardization. The Project targeted professional and Management staff of national QI-institutions as well as ministries relevant to the QI-System. Amongst others, measures lige Trainings and awareness raising Events have been taken and consultancy has been provided.
The evaluation combined qualitative and quantitative methods (mixed method design). A document Analysis and qualitative interviews with different stakeholders from all SAARC countries during a field visit to Bangladesh, Bhutan and India, and an online Survey of former metrology and accreditation Training participants in awareness raising Events have been carried out.
By statistical data and qualitative Content Analysis, the evaluation aimed to provide empirical evidence about the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the Project (DAC criteria) and the success factores for the observed results and change processes (Capacity Works criteria: strategy, cooperation, steering structure, processes, learning and innovation).
Thereby, it contributed to the further development of the Project approach and ist revision in view of future activities by PTB (in the region). The evaluation results had also been used as a Basis to decide on a follow-up project and on potentially necessary adaptions of its design.
Evaluation of the Projects “Sustainable Municipal Development through Partnership Projects” and “Support Program for Municipal Climate Protection and Climate Change Adaption Projects”
As part of Engagement Global – Service für Entwicklungsinitiativen (Service for Development Initiatives) the Service Agency Communities in One World in Germany ist the competence Center for local development cooperation. Founded in 2001 the Service Agency offers a platform for dialogue for municipalities in Germany and the South and supports development activities of local actors by providing them with Training, Information and advisory Services.
The two programs “Sustainable Municipal Development through Partnership Projects – Nachhaltige Kommunalentwicklung durch Partnerschaftsprojekte (Nakopa)” and “Support Program for Municipal Climate Protection and Climate Change Adaption Projects – Förderprogramm für kommunale Klimaschutz- und Klimaanpassungsprojekte (FKKP)” are core activities of the Service Agency. While Nakopa supports existing and new municipal partnership Projects in selected relevant fields of development cooperation, FKKP explicitly addresses municipal activities in the field of climate protection and climate change adaptation.
After the first Project cycle of three years has been completed, the current Evaluation aims at evaluating These two programs with respect to processual aspects of project Administration as well as Impacts of both the funded partnership Projects and the Support programs Nakopa and FKKP. Leading questions of this evaluation are guided by the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria and had been answered using the approach of contribution Analysis and documentary and empirical data. Hence, the evaluation was based on Monitoring data and Project documents on the one Hand and empirical data gathered through extensive partly standardized interviews and partly standardized online surweys with participating communities on the other hand.
Improving the Monitoring and reporting System to implement the Action plan "Inclusion of Persons with disabilities" in the German development co-operation
In February 2013, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) published an action plan for the inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs). In doing so, it follows ist duties emanating from Article 32 of the UN Convention on the rights of PWDs. The action plan provides Information on strategic Goals and Actions to design development cooperation of the Federal Republic of Germany towards a better inclusion of PWDs.
To assess the progress and to steer the implementation of planned acitivities an appropriate Monitoring and reporting System is necessary. Hence, the Center of Evaluation (CEval) has been contracted to Support the sector Project “Inclusion of PWDs” of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the departement 300 of the BMZ with its methodological expertise to develop an Analysis grid to evaluate the implementation of the action plan.
External Evaluation of the empowering people. Network
On behalf of Siemens Stiftung CEval GmbH implemented an external evaluation of the empowering people. Network. Founded in 2013, the network brings together inventors and social enterprises to develop solutions to address basic supply problems in fields such as health, food or education in developing countries. The empowering people. Award aims to identify simple and appropriate technological innovations with business potential and make them visible and accessible to everyone. As members of the empowering people. Network, currently 80 organizations that are implementing best-practice approaches receive long-term support in terms of organizational development, professionalization, and networking with partners.
In 2017, the empowering people. Network was evaluated for the first time since its foundation. The evaluation covered the entire lifetime of the network and its purpose was to account for progress and goals achieved so far and to gain lessons for strategic development. It therefore examined what impacts could be achieved by the respective modules and how these were assessed with regard to the overarching objectives. Leading questions of the evaluation were guided by the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria. It was characterized by a participative multi-methods approach and drew on contribution analysis that combined document/secondary analyses with qualitative (interviews, focus group discussions, case studies) as well as quantitative methods (partly standardized surveys). Lessons learnt and recommendations for the future development of the network were derived from the findings.
Impact Study: Assessing the Impact of Fairtrade on Poverty Reduction through Rural Development, Follow-up study 2017
TransFair e.V. aims at strengthening the objectives of Fairtrade and enabling producers in the Global South to make a living of the products they produce. Among other things, this should be achieved by establishing long-term and as direct as possible relations between producer organizations in the Global South and markets in the Global North and by complying with standards such as the legal minimum wage, wearing protective clothing, paid vacation and social insurance for workers working on plantations.
In order to assess the impact of Fairtrade on the socioeconomic environment of producers, TransFair e.V. and the Swiss Max Havelaar Foundation had commissioned CEval in 2011 to carry out the impact Evaluation “Assessing the Impact of Fairtrade on Poverty Reduction through Rural Development.” The study was the first of its kind to analyze the potential contribution of Fairtrade to improve the living conditions in rural areas. The study design covered the countries Ghana, India, Kenya and Peru and the product categories banana, cotton, flower, coffee, cocoa and tea.
2017, in its 25th anniversary year, TransFair e.V. wanted to follow up on the previous findings and commissioned CEval for the second time, enabling the assessment of longitudinal (comparison over time) and cross-sectional (FT and non-FT case study comparison) changes. A theory-based contribution analysis was applied, considering FTs Theory of Change and the indicators of the committee on sustainability assessment (COSA). Following a case study approach, the findings were mainly based on primary qualitative data collected via Focus Group Discussions, Key Informant Interviews and observations. A participatory quantitative seed assessment to assess perception changes over the last five years complemented the field research, which took place between October 2017 and January 2018. Findings were, eventually, structured along the economic, social and ecological dimension of the COSA indicators.
Formative Evaluation of the Out-of-School-Children Initiative (OOSCI)
The focus of this evaluation was the Out-of-School-Children Initiative (OOSCI) by UNICEF and UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). The initiative was launched in 2010 to achieve a reduction in the number of children out of school in participating countries. Means to achieve this goal were to create comprehensive profiles of out-of-School children in each Country, identify the barriers that push children out of school and to propose changes in the policies and strategies of the partner country to address these barriers.
The evaluation aimed at testing the validity of the theory of change and its assumptions. It is used to strengthen the program logic and to provide a formative assessment of the progress towards the overall goal of achieving a reduction in out-of-school children. The evaluation also provides an in-depth insight into benefits for the different stakeholders and their involvement in the initiative. Furthermore, the findings of the evaluation are used to meet the accountability requirements by the donors of OOSCI.
Main source of information of this evaluation have been documents like OOSCI country studies, OOSCI regional studies, government plans and documents from other donors (e.g. the World Bank, UNESCO, foreign donors etc.). In a document review we assessed progress made through OOSCI for a sample of 42 countries and assessed the contents within the document using a 4-step coding. These codings were used for a descriptive analysis and additionally for a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). QCA enabled us to analyze thoroughly which set of conditions leads to which outcome. Further instrument of data collection has been an online survey to all country offices. Additional qualitative data has been collected in the US and during eight country visits. The evaluation has been conducted together with Proman and further Consultants. CEval took over the lead with regard to the evaluation methodology.
Meta-Evaluation of 34 evaluation reports of World Vision Deutschland
For the third time, World Vision Germany (WVG) commissioned CEval to conduct a meta-evaluation of evaluation reports of its supported development programmes. In total, 34 evaluation reports of the financial years of 2016 and 2017 were included, to analyze their quality and validity.
The meta-evaluation was based on an analysis matrix, jointly created by CEval and WVG, which is structured along the main criteria of voice and inclusion, transparency, methodology, triangulation, contribution, satisfaction of information needs, conceptualization of findings and the newly added criterion of sustainability. Firstly, criteria were assessed systematically along pre-defined sub-questions and corresponding scales. Secondly, results were then aggregated and visualized. Lastly, the results were compared with previous meta-evaluations and trends were discussed.
