The logic of development effectiveness: Is it time for the broader evaluation community to take notice?

This article addresses the evaluative dimension of development effectiveness. It argues that, with some refinements, the effectiveness criteria forged in the international-development field would be equally serviceable in other domains of evaluative practice. Specifically, the criteria and tools in widespread use within the development-evaluation arena reflect hard-won lessons of experience. They have demonstrated their worth in diverse operating environments. They have proved resilient to shifts in policy doctrines. They are equally applicable to project, programme and policy evaluations. Finally, having supplanted measures focused on inputs and outputs (rather than outcomes and impacts), they are well aligned with the evidence-based and results-oriented stance currently favoured by policy makers in rich and poor countries alike.