IEG is a key player in supporting evaluators both in IEG and in client countries through several evaluation capacity development programs. IEG drives two capacity building initiatives, the International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) and the Centers for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR) Initiative. IEG also invests in the skills and capabilities of its own staff with the IEG Academy
NEW: World Bank Group Evaluation Principles
A highlight of FY19 was the release of the World Bank Group Evaluation Principles, co-led by the IEG Methods Adviser in collaboration with IFC, MIGA, and the World Bank. The principles act to solidify a Bank Group evaluation approach based on the evaluation framework established in FY18. The document delineates core principles for evaluation and underlying principles for planning, conducting, and using evaluations at the Bank Group. Informed by international evaluation principles and good practice standards, the common principles are designed to enhance development results by strengthening accountability and learning. The principles align the Bank Group’s evaluative efforts with global challenges and the Bank Group’s strategic focus; clarify the roles and responsibilities of key actors and encourage synergy among them throughout the evaluation process; and ensure that all Bank Group evaluations are robust, of high quality, and credible.
Evaluation Capacity Development
One important part of IEG’s mandate is to assist national, regional, and local governments, as well as civil society and nongovernmental organizations, in strengthening their monitoring and evaluation capacity in support of better designed public policies and increased accountability for results. This is particularly important in the context of the SDGs and Agenda 2030, which require governments to monitor progress and understand what accelerates advancement toward them.
CLEAR is a global network comprising six centers that provide M&E capacity building support in six different regions of the world. The objective is to deepen the M&E culture in these regions and help establish the needed legal and regulatory framework, systems, procedures, and skills. In FY19, CLEAR demonstrated its commitment to evaluation capacity development with projects in each region.
CLEAR also plays a strong advocacy role in promoting the use of evidence in policy making globally. In June 2019, CLEAR launched the gLOCAL Evaluation Week. This event recognized that today, more than ever before, global knowledge is shaping local evaluation practices, while at the same time, local experiences are contributing to strengthening global evaluation thinking. In this context, over 270 events were organized in more than 90 cities across 38 countries to share global and local M&E knowledge and experiences.
IPDET is a global executive program in M&E. In July 2019, IEG supported—with its partners the Center for Evaluation in Germany and the University of Bern, Switzerland—the second year of IPDET. This year’s program benefited from closer collaboration with partners and instructors from the Global South. A total of 230 participants from 85 countries took the course this summer to enhance their M&E knowledge and skills.
Methods Advisory
IEG’s methods advisory team aims to advise and influence IEG evaluators in implementing high quality methodological approaches in their evaluations and introducing methodological innovations within IEG. To that end, the methods advisory team worked with other IEG teams to apply a broader range of methodological approaches, including process tracing, social network analysis, Delphi techniques, structured literature reviews, and protocol-based portfolio analysis, in evaluations occurring in FY19. A highlight of FY19 involved the release of the World Bank Group Evaluation Principles, co-led by the IEG Methods Adviser. Finally, other work involves updating and developing methodological guidelines, unifying and professionalizing the work done by IEG’s data analysts, collaborating with World Bank monitoring and evaluation colleagues on bringing external experts to community of practice learning events (the Results Measurement and Evidence Stream), and guiding M&E training with the IEG Academy. Regarding the latter, the methods advisory team successfully organized and delivered courses for IEG staff (and, increasingly, with participation from colleagues from other international DC-based institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank): Foundations of Evaluation Design; Theory of Change; and a number of Portfolio Review and Analysis training modules.
IEG Academy
In FY19, the IEG Academy took on its second year in full force. Two all-staff, dedicated Learning Days highlighted the importance of professional growth and development to IEG. Courses covered a wide range of topics, including the foundations of evaluation design, problem-solving techniques, and design thinking. In addition, over the course of the year, IEG Academy hosted 47 classes and provided on-the-job tools and coaching opportunities.