CEDIL methods working paper: Making and justifying evidence claims: evidence synthesis of impact evaluations and systematic reviews in international development

Abstract

In the last few decades, there has been an increasing use of, and demand for, high-quality evidence among decision makers in international development. Evidence from research leads to claims about the effects of intervening in people’s lives to improve specific outcomes. However, this raises the question of how such evidence claims are framed, justified and communicated. This review aims to address this important question by reviewing research findings from impact evaluations and systematic reviews to understand the nature and the scope of evidence claims in the global South