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Impact evaluation helps deliver development projects

Author

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  • Legovini, Arianna
  • Di Maro, Vincenzo
  • Piza, Caio

Abstract

Does research add value to aid? Specifically, does impact evaluation research help or hinder the delivery of development projects? This paper analyzes the question by constructing a new data set of 100 impact evaluations and 1,135 projects approved by the World Bank between 2005 and 2011. The analysis finds that the delivery of projects with impact evaluation is significantly timelier: common delays are avoided and the gap between planned and actual disbursements is reduced by half. Evidence-based mid-course corrections, a clearer implementation road map, strengthened capacity on the ground, and observer effects are possible channels to explain the results. Hopefully, this analysis will stimulate discussion over the optimal balance between project financing and the impact evaluation research needed to deliver development outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Legovini, Arianna & Di Maro, Vincenzo & Piza, Caio, 2015. "Impact evaluation helps deliver development projects," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7157, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:7157
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Bank, 2012. "The World Bank Annual Report 2012," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 11845.
    2. Kilby, Christopher, 2013. "The political economy of project preparation: An empirical analysis of World Bank projects," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 211-225.
    3. Inder Ruprah & Luis Marcano, 2009. "Does technical assistance matter? An impact evaluation approach to estimate its value added," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(4), pages 507-528.
    4. Edoardo Masset & Marie Gaarder & Penelope Beynon & Christelle Chapoy, 2013. "What is the impact of a policy brief? Results of an experiment in research dissemination," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 50-63, March.
    5. Kilby, Christopher, 2000. "Supervision and performance: the case of World Bank projects," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 233-259, June.
    6. Denizer, Cevdet & Kaufmann, Daniel & Kraay, Aart, 2013. "Good countries or good projects? Macro and micro correlates of World Bank project performance," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 288-302.
    7. World Bank, 2012. "The World Bank Annual Report 2012," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 11846.
    8. Inder Ruprah & Luis Marcano, 2009. "Does technical assistance matter? An impact evaluation approach to estimate its value added," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(4), pages 507-528.
    9. World Bank, 2009. "Annual Review of Development Effectiveness 2009 : Achieving Sustainable Development," World Bank Publications - Reports 10533, The World Bank Group.
    10. Brune, Lasse & Gine, Xavier & Goldberg, Jessica & Yang, Dean, 2011. "Commitments to save : a field experiment in rural Malawi," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5748, The World Bank.
    11. World Bank, 2012. "The World Bank Annual Report 2012," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 11844.
    12. Iqbal Dhaliwal & Caitlin Tulloch, 2012. "From research to policy: using evidence from impact evaluations to inform development policy," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(4), pages 515-536, December.
    13. Vinod Thomas & Jiro Tominaga, 2010. "Evaluation for better development results," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(3), pages 371-386.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Fatoumata Nankoto Cissé, 2022. "How impact evaluation methods influence the outcomes of development projects? Evidence from a meta-analysis on decentralized solar nano projects," Post-Print halshs-03623394, HAL.
    2. Daniel L. Nielson & Bradley Parks & Michael J. Tierney, 2017. "International organizations and development finance: Introduction to the special issue," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 157-169, June.
    3. Fatoumata Nankoto Cissé, 2022. "How impact evaluation methods influence the outcomes of development projects? Evidence from a meta-analysis on decentralized solar nano projects," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-03623394, HAL.
    4. Puri, Jyotsna & Rastogi, Archi & Prowse, Martin & Asfaw, Solomon, 2020. "Good will hunting: Challenges of theory-based impact evaluations for climate investments in a multilateral setting," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    5. Victor Orozco-Olvera & Fuyuan Shen & Lucie Cluver, 2019. "The effectiveness of using entertainment education narratives to promote safer sexual behaviors of youth: A meta-analysis, 1985-2017," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(2), pages 1-14, February.
    6. Fatoumata Nankoto Cissé, 2022. "How impact evaluation methods influence the outcomes of development projects? Evidence from a meta-analysis on decentralized solar nano projects," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 22008, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    7. Richard Manning & Ian Goldman & Gonzalo Hernández Licona, 2020. "The impact of impact evaluation: Are impact evaluation and impact evaluation synthesis contributing to evidence generation and use in low- and middle-income countries?," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-20, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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    Keywords

    Banks&Banking Reform; Housing&Human Habitats; Poverty Monitoring&Analysis; Development Economics&Aid Effectiveness; Rural Portfolio Improvement;
    All these keywords.

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