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Evaluating the Impacts That Impact Evaluations Don’t Evaluate

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Mixed Methods Research in Poverty and Vulnerability

Abstract

Development interventions aim to achieve a pre-determined set of positive improvements in the lives of people who receive them. They embody an implicit or explicit theory of change: people’s wellbeing is impaired by certain deficits or challenges they face, so providing specific benefits to them will alleviate these constraints and improve their wellbeing. Impact evaluations test whether the theory of change holds in practice: did the intervention actually improve wellbeing as predicted?

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© 2015 Stephen Devereux and Keetie Roelen

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Devereux, S., Roelen, K. (2015). Evaluating the Impacts That Impact Evaluations Don’t Evaluate. In: Roelen, K., Camfield, L. (eds) Mixed Methods Research in Poverty and Vulnerability. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137452511_7

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