Dealing With Complexity in Development Evaluation

A Practical Approach

KEY FEATURES:

• The author’s practical, multi-step framework bridges the gap between evaluation practice and the complexity debate to demonstrate that even organizations with limited resources can significantly improve the quality of their evaluations of complex programs.
• Complexity is broken down into a set of four dimensions, each of which can be understood by non-specialists, for easy comprehension.
• A set of case studies illustrate the practical meaning of complexity in individual projects, multi-country programs, and complex, multi-donor funded programs, to include a variety of situations.
• Three chapters on how to collect, manage, and use complex data cover important topics rarely discussed in other texts, providing insight on new information technology (smartphones, mapping tools, the Internet, etc.), development of integrated data platforms, the use of big data for monitoring and evaluation, and more.
• A chapter dedicated to the management of complex evaluations which is targeted specifically to evaluation and program managers speaks to an audience often excluded in other texts.
• A strong focus on the use of mixed methods sets the book apart by targeting both quantitative and qualitative evaluators.
• A comprehensive review of all of the most widely used evaluation tools provides a foundation that can be used as a refresher course.
• A balance between practice and theory appeals to the interest of evaluation practitioners as well as more theory-oriented readers.
• The authors provide a comprehensive definition of complexity beyond the narrow conception that lies in the causal process that may be described in other books.
• The tools and techniques of complexity science—often presented at a highly technical level—are explained in an easy-to-understand, accessible manner, ensuring mastery well before advanced discussions.