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Purity or pragmatism? Reflecting on the use of systematic review methodology in development

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  • Ruth Stewart
  • Carina van Rooyen
  • Thea de Wet

Abstract

Systematic review methodology pioneered in health care has been increasingly applied to development questions of importance in lower- and middle-income countries. This paper reports one such review on the topic of microfinance in sub-Saharan Africa and reflects on the number of pragmatic methodological compromises made when applying the method to a new field. These compromises relate to multidisciplinary teamwork, application of regional filters, drawing on evidence from additional study types and exploring mechanisms for change through the development and testing of a causal pathway. The paper concludes that a pragmatic rigorous approach to systematically reviewing evidence of effectiveness is needed for international development.

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  • Ruth Stewart & Carina van Rooyen & Thea de Wet, 2012. "Purity or pragmatism? Reflecting on the use of systematic review methodology in development," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(3), pages 430-444, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevef:v:4:y:2012:i:3:p:430-444
    DOI: 10.1080/19439342.2012.711341
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michael A. Clemens & Gabriel Demombynes, 2011. "When does rigorous impact evaluation make a difference? The case of the Millennium Villages," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(3), pages 305-339, September.
    2. Andy Sumner, 2010. "Global Poverty and the New Bottom Billion: What if Three-quarters of the World’s Poor Live in Middle-income Countries?," Working Papers 74, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth.
    3. Michael Bamberger & Vijayendra Rao & Michael Woolcock, 2009. "Using Mixed Methods in Monitoring and Evaluation: Experiences from International Development’," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 10709, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    4. Howard White, 2013. "An introduction to the use of randomised control trials to evaluate development interventions," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 30-49, March.
    5. Elisabeth King & Cyrus Samii & Birte Snilstveit, 2010. "Interventions to promote social cohesion in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(3), pages 336-370.
    6. Andy Sumner, 2010. "Global Poverty and the New Bottom Billion: Three-Quarters of the World’s Poor Live in Middle-Income Countries," One Pager 120, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth.
    7. Chambers, Robert & Karlan, Dean & Ravallion, Martin & Rogers, Patricia, 2009. "Designing impact evaluations: different perspectives," 3ie Publications 2009-4, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie).
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    Cited by:

    1. Hansen, Henrik & Trifkovic, Neda, 2013. "Systematic Reviews: Questions, Methods and Usage," MPRA Paper 47993, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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