home > conference - November 24-25, 2003

Enterprise Development Impact Assessment Information Service (EDIAIS)

NEW DIRECTIONS IN IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT: METHODS AND PRACTICE

John Hailey & Rick James, INTRAC, Oxford

NGO Capacity Building: The Challenge of Impact Assessment

Link to full paper

ABSTRACT

There is increasing investment in a range of capacity building initiatives. Among the challenges for those involved in this work is how to assess their impact, as well as be able to use and disseminate their assessment in a timely, user-friendly and meaningful way. There are also challenges associated with the role of self-assessment and personal narrative in impact assessment, the degree to which qualitative indicators can be used to balance quantitative measures, how one can resolve issues of attribution, the question of who carries out such assessment, the impact of culture on assessment processes, and the level of investment needed to undertake credible impact assessments. This paper is based on the initial analysis of INTRAC's new Praxis Programme into some of these issues. In particular this analysis draws on the experience of NGOs working in Africa and Asia, and some of the innovative processes and practices they have adopted to meet the challenge of assessing the impact of their capacity building work.

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