1st Edition
Evaluation Methodologies for Aid in Conflict
Knowledge and rigorous evidence around the role of external development partners in situations of conflict and fragility is still lacking. There is little accountability for the billions in aid being spent in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This book analyses evaluation theory and practice in order to help fill this knowledge gap and advocates a realistic and rigorous approach to evaluating international engagement. Through a series of case studies, this book highlights both the promise, and potential pitfalls, of taking a more evaluative approach to understanding aid in conflict regions. These illustrate the methodological and analytical approach taken by researchers working to understand the results and effectiveness of conflict prevention and peacebuilding support. While well-grounded in current theoretical and methodological debates, the book provides valuable practical information by examining how and why different choices were made in the context of each evaluation. The book shows what future steps may be envisaged to further strengthen evaluations of support for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. The analysis draws on a wealth of perspectives and voices to provide researchers and students in development studies and conflict and peace studies as well as development evaluators with a deep and broad understanding of evaluation methods and approaches.
1. Introduction, Ole Winckler Andersen and Megan Kennedy-Chouane 2. Evaluation approaches in situations of conflict and fragility, Eva Broegaard, Beate Bull and Jens Kovsted 3. Critical reflections on the South Sudan evaluation of conflict and peacebuilding activities, Chris Barnett and Jon Bennett 4. Battlefields of method: Evaluating Norwegian peace efforts in Sri Lanka, Jonathan Goodhand, Bart Klem and Gunnar M. Sørbø 5. The Case of Congo: An Evaluation Approach Focusing on Context, Emery Brusset and Ivo Hooghe 6. Assessing Development Co-operation in North East Afghanistan with repeated mixed-method surveys, Jan R. Böhnke, Jan Koehler and Christoph Zürcher 7. Impact Evaluation for Peacebuilding: challenging preconceptions, Marie Gaarder and Jeannie Annan 8. Evaluating Statebuilding Support: Learning from Experience or Judging from Assumptions?, Jörn Grävingholt and Julia Leininger 9. Systems Thinking in Peacebuilding Evaluations: Applications in Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Kosovo, Diana Chigas and Peter Woodrow
Biography
Ole Winckler Andersen is Head of the Evaluation Department, Danida, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark.
Beate Bull is Senior Adviser at the Evaluation Department, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norway.
Megan Kennedy-Chouane is Policy Analyst at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), France.
"This is a well-structured sampler of relevant insights into the methodological issues involved in designing and carrying out evaluations of intervention in conflict situations. The discussion of the main theoretical challenges, complemented with the illustrations of a diverse setting of cases, allows the reader to comprehend the theoretical and practical complexities of undertaking these analyses. An additional strength of the book is the extensive and comprehensive bibliography included at the end of each chapter, useful for those who want to look more closely at the points raised." – European Journal of Development Research, Ines Afonso Roque Ferreira, University of East Anglia, UK
