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Evaluations and Impact Assessments in Communication for Development

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Handbook of Communication for Development and Social Change

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Abstract

Within the development field, project evaluations and impact assessments are essential. Donors are increasingly requiring rigorous evaluations in order to (1) ensure that aid dollars are spent on projects that are having positive impacts and not being wasted on projects that are ineffective and (2) promote “evidence-based policy making” in which evaluations contribute to understanding best practices for development aid. These two goals are frequently referred to by the world’s major donors as promoting “accountability” and “learning,” respectively. However, current conceptions of learning and accountability are problematic – at times even counterproductive. This chapter provides an overview of the role of evaluations in the CDS field and the concepts of accountability and learning and then describes the problems, contradictions, and ethical dilemmas that arise in the field because of them. The chapter ends with suggestions for how the field might fine tune the concepts of learning and accountability in a way that would better serve both donors and aid recipients.

Adapted from Kogen (2018a). Copyright © 2017 by the Author. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications, Ltd.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Media Studies and Production, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Lauren Kogen

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  1. Lauren Kogen
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Correspondence to Lauren Kogen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Former UNESCO Chair in Communication for Sustainable Social Change, University of Leuven, Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Jan Servaes

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Kogen, L. (2019). Evaluations and Impact Assessments in Communication for Development. In: Servaes, J. (eds) Handbook of Communication for Development and Social Change. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7035-8_131-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7035-8_131-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-7035-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-7035-8

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