What is evaluation

An evaluation can cover one or more projects, programmes, plans of action, strategies or policies. In order to ensure that they are as objective as possible, evaluations are carried out by independent experts who have no vested interest in the results. They are thorough, and they are based on the systematic collection and presentation of information. The results must be must be made available to the general public, among other things in order to provide opportunities to verify the facts and the validity of the evaluation. These requirements are based on many years of experience of evaluation by multilateral and bilateral bodies, and are laid down in quality standards, such as the DAC Evaluation Quality Standards (see http://www.oecd.org/).

One of the purposes of evaluations is to consider whether a measure has been implemented as agreed and/or whether the anticipated results have been achieved (the control function). Another equally important purpose is to systematise knowledge that can help to improve similar measures in future (the learning function). Evaluations that primarily aim to clarify the reasons why a measure was successful or less successful are often called formative evaluations because this knowledge can be used in the design of future measures. Summative evaluations primarily aim to summarise results and evaluate how valuable the results have been. Experience indicates that if evaluations are to be good learning instruments, stakeholders should take part in the work of planning the evaluation and should also have the opportunity to comment on the factual information and judgements that are presented in the evaluation report.

Evaluations are primarily backward-looking and focus on the lessons learned from a measure, whether the measure has been completed or is ongoing. However, to optimise the learning function, priority is given to knowledge that will also be useful in the future. Once a relatively long-term measure is well under way, it is not unusual to carry out a mid-term evaluation in order to be able to make adjustments along the way. The purpose of a final evaluation is to document the situation when a measure has been completed, or to clarify whether it is necessary for Norad or its cooperation partner(s) to continue the measure or follow it up with other measures. It is not the purpose of evaluations to appraise specific proposals, whether they concern the continuation of existing measures or new measures. However, evaluations will often be carried out as a contribution to forward-looking processes of this nature.

In cases where several countries have a common interest in controlling or learning from a measure, they will often collaborate on joint evaluations, not least to relieve the pressure on aid recipients (harmonisation). Experience so far shows that these types of evaluations, where several countries must agree on priorities and methodology, require a considerable amount of time and resources. However, the quality of joint evaluations may also be better, probably because more time is spent on planning and more experience and insights are brought to bear.

A distinction is made between evaluations and reviews. Reviews usually require fewer resources, can be implemented more quickly and can be carried out by either the aid administration's own employees or external experts. The requirements as regards comprehensive, systematic collection and presentation of data are less stringent for reviews. The results of reviews are often intended for the internal use of the aid administration.