268 research outputs found
Multiple Pathways to Policy Impact: Testing an Uptake Theory with QCA
Policy impact is a complex process influenced by multiple factors. An intermediate step in this process is policy uptake, or the adoption of measures by policymakers that reflect research findings and recommendations. The path to policy uptake often involves activism, lobbying and advocacy work by civil society organisations, so an earlier intermediate step could be termed âadvocacy uptakeâ; which would be the use of research findings and recommendations by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in
their efforts to influence government policy. This CDI Practice Paper by Barbara Befani proposes a âbroad-brushâ theory of policy uptake (more precisely of âadvocacy uptakeâ) and then tests it using two methods: (1) a type of statistical analysis and (2) a variant of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). The pros and cons of both families of methods are discussed in this paper, which shows that QCA offers the power of generalisation whilst also capturing some of the complexity of middle-range explanation. A limited number of pathways to uptake are identified, which are at the same time moderately sophisticated (considering combinations of causal factors rather than additions) and cover a medium number of cases (40), allowing a moderate degree of generalisation.DFI
Diagnostic evaluation and Bayesian Updating:Practical solutions to common problems
This article discusses several practical issues arising with the application of diagnostic principles to theory-based evaluation (e.g. with Process Tracing and Bayesian Updating). It is structured around three iterative application steps, focusing mostly on the third. While covering different ways evaluators fall victims to confirmation bias and conservatism, the article includes suggestions on which theories can be tested, what kind of empirical material can act as evidence and how to estimate the Bayes formula values/update confidence, including when working with ranges and qualitative confidence descriptors. The article tackles evidence packages (one of the most problematical practical issues), proposing ways to (a) set boundaries of single observations that can be considered independent and handled numerically; (b) handle evidence packages when numerical probability estimates are not available. Some concepts are exemplified using a policy influence process where an institutionâs strategy has been influenced by a knowledge product by another organisation
Impact, Innovation and Learning: Towards a Research and Practice Agenda for the Future â Event Report
This report brings together notes and highlights from the International Workshop organised by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in Brighton on 26â27 March 2013. The event served as a launch platform for the Centre for Development Impact (CDI), a joint venture between IDS and Itad. The main focus in this workshop report was to share background information about the workshop (participants, programme), as well as its purpose and highlights from the technical discussions. In particular, the latter signposts issues concerning both current practice and policy dilemmas, including areas where further thinking and innovation is needed. The report is written to stimulate thinking and questions for further work, and provides key pointers on an emerging agenda.DFI
Process Tracing and Contribution Analysis: A Combined Approach to Generative Causal Inference for Impact Evaluation
This article proposes a combination of a popular evaluation approach, contribution analysis (CA), with an emerging method for causal inference, process tracing (PT). Both are grounded in generative causality and take a probabilistic approach to the interpretation of evidence. The combined approach is tested on the evaluation of the contribution of a teaching programme to the improvement of school performance of girls, and is shown to be preferable to either CA or PT alone. The proposed procedure shows that established Bayesian principles and PT tests, based on both science and common sense, can be applied to assess the strength of qualitative and quali?quantitative observations and evidence, collected within an overarching CA framework; thus shifting the focus of impact evaluation from âassessing impactâ to âassessing confidenceâ (about impact)
Monitoring and Evaluation Report: Year One
The IDS Accountable Grant is a large and complex four-year grant working across seven Policy Themes, 20 sub-themes, 68 activity domains and over 300 Level 2 Outputs.
The scale and diversity of activity under the grant, the dynamic and unpredictable policy environment in which it operates, the number of people and partners involved, together with the imperative to deliver within tight deadlines, highlights the need for a simple yet robust system for tracking planned and completed outputs.
This paper reports on the Monitoring and Evaluation of Year 1 of the Accountable Grant, including progress to date, the development of CRM and future developments.DFI
Introduction â Rethinking Impact Evaluation for Development
This IDS Bulletin is the first of two special issues presenting contributions from the event âImpact Innovation and Learning: Towards a Research and Practice Agenda for the Futureâ, organised by IDS in March 2013. The initiative, as well as these two issues, represent a ârallying cryâ for impact evaluation to rise to the challenges of a post?MDG/post?2015 development agenda. This introduction articulates first what these challenges are, and then goes on to summarise how the contributors propose to meet these challenges in terms of methodological and institutional innovation. Increasingly ambitious development goals, multiple layers of governance and lines of accountability require adequate causal inference frameworks and less ambitious expectations on the span of direct influence single interventions can achieve, as well as awareness of multiple bias types. Institutions need to be researched and become more impact?oriented and learning?oriented
QualitaÌ dellâaria ambiente e (ir)responsabilitaÌ Stati per mancata adozione di misure contenitive della direttiva 2008/50/CE
Con la sentenza 22 dicembre 2022, C-61/21, Ministre de la Transition eÌcologique, la Corte di giustizia dellâUE (grande sezione) eÌ intervenuta sulla domanda di pronuncia pregiudiziale proposta, ai sensi dellâarticolo 267 TFUE, dalla Cour administrative dâappel de Versailles, concernente lâinterpretazione dellâart. 3 Direttiva 80/779/CEE; dellâart. 3 Direttiva 85/203/CEE; dellâart. 4 Direttiva
96/62/CE; dellâart. 4 Direttiva 1999/30/CE e dellâart. 13, par. 1, e dellâart. 23,
par. 1, della direttiva 2008/50/CE del Parlamento europeo e del Consiglio, del 21
maggio 2008, relativa alla qualitaÌ dellâaria ambiente e per unâaria piuÌ pulita in
Europa.
Nello specifico, la domanda pregiudiziale eÌ stata presentata nellâambito di una controversia intercorsa tra un cittadino francese e il Ministro francese della Transizione ecologica, in merito alle domande dirette segnatamente, da un lato, allâannullamento della decisione implicita del prefetto del Val-dâOise (Francia)
recante diniego di adottare le misure necessarie alla soluzione dei suoi problemi di
salute connessi allâinquinamento atmosferico e, dallâaltro, al risarcimento da parte
della Repubblica francese dei diversi danni che questi imputa a tale inquinamento
Lâoggetto della controversia dedotta allâattenzione della Corte, concerne lâestensione della responsabilitaÌ statale per superamento dei valori limite e valori
guida di qualitaÌ atmosferica per lâanidride solforosa e per le particelle in sospensione, in violazione del diritto dellâUnione e delle norme di qualitaÌ
atmosferica per il biossido di azoto, noncheÌ di quelle in materia di valutazione e di
gestione della qualitaÌ dellâaria ambiente.
la Corte di Giustizia, nellâapplicare il generale
principio della responsabilitaÌ dello Stato per danni causati ai singoli da violazioni
del diritto dellâUnione, ha rilevato che questo principio si applichi a qualsiasi caso
di violazione del diritto dellâUnione da parte di uno Stato membro,
indipendentemente dallâautoritaÌ pubblica responsabile di tale violazione.
In questo senso, ai fini dellâindividuazione dei presupposti di tale responsabilitaÌ, la Corte ha riconosciuto il diritto al risarcimento qualora siano soddisfatte congiuntamente tre condizioni, vale a dire: che la norma giuridica dellâUnione violata sia preordinata a conferire loro diritti; che la violazione di tale norma sia sufficientemente qualificata e che esista un nesso causale diretto tra tale violazione e il danno subito da detti soggetti [cfr. sent. del 28 giugno 2022, Commissione/Spagna (Violazione del diritto dellâUnione da parte del legislatore),
Câ278/20, punto 31 e giurisprudenza ivi citata]
Introduction â Towards Systemic Approaches to Evaluation and Impact
This IDS Bulletin is the second of two that follow an Institute of Development Studies event seeking to define an agenda for research and practice of development impact evaluation. It focuses on exploring the potential of systems ideas and complexity concepts to meet the increasingly complex challenges of an increasingly ambitious development agenda. In particular, the contributions seek to: (a) redefine âlearningâ according to the number of âlearning loopsâ involved; (b) understand how to identify the most relevant impact evaluation questions; (c) simulate systems states in two sectors (leather and health) following the implementation of (combinations of) different policy options and other events; and finally, (d) shake the foundations of the impact evaluation institutional system, recommending that the notions of multiple perspectives and system boundaries are fully embraced, and that the system ultimately transitions from an âevaluation industrial complexâ to an âevaluation adaptive complexâ. While the issue is a step in the right direction, much more work remains to be done
Considerazioni conclusive: lâevoluzione del potere navale verso un nuovo diritto amministrativo marittimo
Testing the Waters: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of the Factors Affecting Success in Rendering Water Services Sustainable Based on ICT Reporting
This research conducted by WaterAid, Itad and IRC aims to understand the factors that facilitate and inhibit the success of ICT-based reporting to improve rural water supply sustainability. They compare eight ICT initiatives in Kenya, Bolivia, Timor Leste, Uganda, Tanzania and India, to identify the most crucial factors that lead to success or failure
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