Impact evaluations and development: NONIE guidance on impact evaluation

The Network of Networks for Impact Evaluation (NONIE) was established in 2006 to foster more and better impact evaluations by its membership— the evaluation networks of bilateral and multilateral organizations focusing on development issues, as well as networks of developing country evaluators. NONIE’s member networks conduct a broad set of evaluations, examining issues such as project and strategy performance, institutional development, and aid effectiveness. But the focus of NONIE is narrower. By sharing methodological approaches and promoting learning by doing on impact evaluations, NONIE aims to promote the use of this more specific approach by its members within their larger portfolio of evaluations. These guidance document has been developed to support this focus.1The Guidelines set out nine principles for Impact Evaluation: 1) identify the (type and scope of the) intervention; 2) agree on what is valued; 3) carefully articulate the theories linking interventions to outcomes; 4) address the attribution problem; 5) use a mixed-methods approach; 6) build on existing knowledge relevant to the impact of interventions; 7) determine if an impact evaluation is feasible and worth the cost; 8) start collecting data early; 9) front-end planning is important.