A Mechanism-Centred Approach to Evaluating Complex Aid Interventions: The Case of Accompanying Measures to Budget Support

Background: Current methodological debates related to theory-based evaluations (TBE) centre around questions how to improve the explanatory strength of these approaches and how to integrate mechanisms as analytic concept. Particularly in complex aid interventions, when multiple elements are expected to interact and thus create an added value, exploring mechanisms as an analytical tool can be promising. Purpose: This paper seeks to contribute to the discussion on the use of TBE for evaluating complex aid interventions by sharing experiences from a recent evaluation of accompanying measures to general budget support. Setting: Nine countries of sub-Saharan Africa which have received German budget support, namely Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia. Intervention: Accompanying measures (mainly in the form of technical assistance and capacity development) are one element of the budget support package, which further encompasses financial contributions, policy dialogue, and conditionalities. Research Design: We focus on interrelations between different elements of budget support and apply a mechanism-centred approach to programme theory building, Data Collection and Analysis: After defining accompanying measures and integrating them into the intervention logic of budget support used in recent multi-donor evaluations, key mechanisms were identified on an explorative mission to Mozambique, validated in an online survey, and further discussed in expert interviews and during field research in Tanzania. Findings: For the specific example relating to two elements of budget support (policy dialogue and accompanying measures), some of the hypothesized mechanisms were found to create an added value and thus increase the effectiveness of budget support as a package. The applied approach helped generate a more comprehensive implementation theory and provided insights into potential benefits and challenges of combining different elements in one programme. Beyond its use for future evaluations in the field of budget support, we argue that TBE of complex interventions can benefit from adopting such a mechanism-centred approach to create a better understanding of how different elements of the programme interact. Moreover, the focus on mechanisms when analysing programme implementation enables evaluators to improve their empirical inquiry on the identified mechanisms and to draw valid conclusions on the programme’s contribution to the observed outcomes. Keywords: Theory-based evaluation; theory of change; development evaluation; budget support; technical assistance; capacity development

Accompanying measures to general budget support in Sub-Saharan Africa

As a financial contribution harmonised among donors, general budget support facilitates the implementation of national poverty reduction strategies and promotes governance in partner countries. Apart from this financial contribution to the national budget, the standard budget support package also involves intensive policy dialogue between donors and the partner government, as well as accompanying measures to strengthen country systems. In the portfolio of German development cooperation, accompanying measures to budget support have gained in importance. This evaluation was designed to examine if, how and under which circumstances accompanying measures to budget support can contribute to the objectives of budget support. Questions on the relevance, effectiveness and success factors of these measures were answered based on a literature study, a portfolio analysis, an online survey and semi-structured interviews. Furthermore, the interrelations between accompanying measures and other elements of the package of budget support were analysed

What we know about the effectiveness of budget support: Evaluation Synthesis

For a number of years, budget support has been a preferred aid modality for implementing the principles of effective aid formulated in the 2005 Paris Declaration. Various evaluations find that aid provided through this modality contributes to increased budget allocation towards poverty reduction and improved development outcomes in a number of countries. Nonetheless, budget support has increasingly come under criticism in recent years, and many bilateral donors have either partly or fully stopped using this modality. Against this background, DEval conducted a comprehensive and systematic review of existing evidence on the effectiveness of budget support, based on a considerably larger number and greater variety of sources than previous synthetic work. To close important remaining knowledge gaps this evaluation synthesis draws together different perspectives on the impact of budget support from a total of 95 evaluations and studies. The findings substantiate existing knowledge on the effectiveness of budget support and at the same time generate new insights for decision makers in German and international development cooperation

Begleitende Maßnahmen der allgemeinen Budgethilfe in Subsahara-Afrika

Allgemeine Budgethilfe unterstützt mit einem unter Gebern harmonisierten finanziellen Beitrag die Umsetzung nationaler Armutsbekämpfungsstrategien und fördert die Regierungsführung in Partnerländern. Neben dem finanziellen Beitrag zum Staatshaushalt besteht das Budgethilfe-Paket aus einem intensiven Politikdialog zwischen Gebern und der Partnerregierung, sowie aus Begleitenden Maßnahmen zur Stärkung der Partnersysteme. Im Portfolio der deutschen EZ haben Begleitende Maßnahmen der Budgethilfe an Bedeutung gewonnen. Mit der Evaluierung wurde untersucht, ob, wie und unter welchen Umständen Begleitende Maßnahmen der Budgethilfe zu den Zielen der Budgethilfe beitragen können. Auf Basis von Literaturstudium, einer Portfolioanalyse, einer Online-Befragung und semi-strukturierten Interviews wurden Fragen nach Relevanz, Wirkungsweise und Erfolgsfaktoren dieser Maßnahmen beantwortet. Außerdem wurden die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Begleitenden Maßnahmen und anderen Elementen des Budgethilfe-Pakets untersucht

A Mechanism-Centred Approach to Evaluating Complex Aid Interventions: The Case of Accompanying Measures to Budget Support

Background: Current methodological debates related to theory-based evaluations (TBE) centre around questions how to improve the explanatory strength of these approaches and how to integrate mechanisms as analytic concept. Particularly in complex aid interventions, when multiple elements are expected to interact and thus create an added value, exploring mechanisms as an analytical tool can be promising. Purpose: This paper seeks to contribute to the discussion on the use of TBE for evaluating complex aid interventions by sharing experiences from a recent evaluation of accompanying measures to general budget support. Setting: Nine countries of sub-Saharan Africa which have received German budget support, namely Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia. Intervention: Accompanying measures (mainly in the form of technical assistance and capacity development) are one element of the budget support package, which further encompasses financial contributions, policy dialogue, and conditionalities. Research Design: We focus on interrelations between different elements of budget support and apply a mechanism-centred approach to programme theory building, Data Collection and Analysis: After defining accompanying measures and integrating them into the intervention logic of budget support used in recent multi-donor evaluations, key mechanisms were identified on an explorative mission to Mozambique, validated in an online survey, and further discussed in expert interviews and during field research in Tanzania. Findings: For the specific example relating to two elements of budget support (policy dialogue and accompanying measures), some of the hypothesized mechanisms were found to create an added value and thus increase the effectiveness of budget support as a package. The applied approach helped generate a more comprehensive implementation theory and provided insights into potential benefits and challenges of combining different elements in one programme. Beyond its use for future evaluations in the field of budget support, we argue that TBE of complex interventions can benefit from adopting such a mechanism-centred approach to create a better understanding of how different elements of the programme interact. Moreover, the focus on mechanisms when analysing programme implementation enables evaluators to improve their empirical inquiry on the identified mechanisms and to draw valid conclusions on the programme’s contribution to the observed outcomes. Keywords: Theory-based evaluation; theory of change; development evaluation; budget support; technical assistance; capacity development

Evaluating the Suitability of 3D Bioprinted Samples for Experimental Radiotherapy: A Pilot Study

Radiotherapy is an important component in the treatment of lung cancer, one of the mostcommon cancers worldwide, frequently resulting in death within only a few years of diagnosis. Inorder to evaluate new therapeutic approaches and compare their efficiency with regard to tumourcontrol at a pre-clinical stage, it is important to develop standardized samples which can serveas inter-institutional outcome controls, independent of differences in local technical parameters orspecific techniques. Recent developments in 3D bioprinting techniques could provide a sophisticatedsolution to this challenge. We have conducted a pilot project to evaluate the suitability of standardizedsamples generated from 3D printed human lung cancer cells in radiotherapy studies. The sampleswere irradiated at high dose rates using both broad beam and microbeam techniques. We found the3D printed constructs to be sufficiently mechanically stable for use in microbeam studies with peakdoses up to 400 Gy to test for cytotoxicity, DNA damage, and cancer cell death in vitro. The results ofthis study show how 3D structures generated from human lung cancer cells in an additive printingprocess can be used to study the effects of radiotherapy in a standardized manner