Impact Evaluations and Development: NONIE Guidance on Impact Evaluation

The document is structured around nine key issues that provide guidance on conceptualizing, designing, and implementing an impact evaluation:

Methodological guidance:

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—the logic of the comparative advantages of methods.

6. Build on existing knowledge relevant to the impact of interventions.

Guidance on managing impact evaluations:

7. Determine if an impact evaluation is feasible and worth the cost.

8. Start collecting data early.

9. Front-end planning is important.