Reflective Impact Evaluation

Ranked in the bottom 20 countries within the Human Development Index (HDI) (UNDP, 2020), Sahel countries face chronic poverty and compounded disasters. After three decades of implementing projects and programs through economic aid, few tangible changes have been achieved. Rarely, some improvements have been observed, but it has been difficult to correlate these changes to any one intervention. Impact evaluation of economic aid through an appropriate approach is necessary in the context of the Sahel. First, impact evaluation is necessary to improve the effectiveness and relevance of projects. Second, impact evaluation is necessary to reorient and ensure sustainability through the capitalization of knowledge and accountability of the actors. This book examines impact evaluation methods in the Sahel using an extensive review of the existing literature on impact evaluation methods. It has attempted to complement existing knowledge by proposing a new conceptual framework for measuring impact that is more appropriate and adapted to the Sahelian context called "Reflective Impact Evaluation".