TRACKING IMPACT An exploratory study of the wider effects of Norwegian civil society support to countries in the South

In 2010, Norwegian total support to civil society organisations (CSOs)1 amounted to 3.6 billion NOK. Almost 1.7 billion NOK, or 46% of this total amount, was channelled through different budget lines managed by Norad2. Evaluation reports overwhelmingly focus on discrete projects and often show that short-term objectives have been achieved with positive results. Much less is known about the long-term impact and the wider effects of CSO development interventions beyond the often limited number of beneficiaries directly assisted. Yet, there are questions about the wider and overall impact of CSOs that are increasingly being asked.