Impact Evaluation of Social Programs: A Policy Perspective (DRAFT)

There is increasing recognition among governments and donor organizations that rigorous evaluations of public interventions should feature in the social policy decisionmaking process. Yet there is frequently a gap between the desire for information on the effectiveness of programs and an understanding of the potential and the limitations of evaluation tools. What questions can evaluations answer? What administrative structures are required to implement them? What are the political and social factors surrounding the acceptance of evaluations by target groups and the public? How much do evaluations cost? How long do they take to complete? This paper addresses these questions by drawing from the experiences of recent evaluations of social safety net programs conducted in both developing and developed countries. While the focus is on safety net interventions, conclusions are applicable to broader social policy. In general, evidence suggests that formal impact evaluations are a valuable policy tool, but must be carefully designed and planned in advance of implementation, and should be used in conjunction with other performance management systems. If designed and implemented properly, evaluations can provide unique information critical to the formulation of sound social policy