Development impact evaluation: new trends and challenges

Abstract

English This article explores the implications associated with the growing emphasis on the use of impact evaluation studies of interventions among the international development community. It argues that: (1) impact evaluations, particularly when structured and conducted within a comparative framework, can be a fundamental input for policy and programme design; (2) impact evaluations are international public goods and thus there are serious coordination issues that need to be addressed to achieve an optimal supply; and (3) there are complex challenges involved in setting up that coordination in such a way that it properly serves the interests and needs of developing countries.