Evaluating sector support using secondary data

Antonie de KempPolicy and Operations Evaluation Department

Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Under construction: IOB impact evaluations

Water and sanitary facilities Pilot in Shinyanga (Tanzania);

program

Primary education (sector support) Zambia Uganda

Impact evaluation Primary education

Development of primary education: access equity learning achievement

Main determinants?Cost-effectiveness of interventions?

Methodology

Regression based approach (education production function)

Analysis at the school level

The evaluation model

Interventions

School characteristics

Infrastructure Teachingmaterials

Teachers

School quality

Access Learning achievement

PupilHouseholdCommunity

characteristics

Welfare outcomes

Data

Annual school census data (EMIS)Test and examination resultsPopulation census data (2002)Demographic and Health surveys (Education data, 2001)

Management information from inspection reportsAdditional survey (financial information, attendance rates, teacher absenteeism)

Interventions

School characteristics

Infrastructure Teachingmaterials

Teachers

School quality

Access Learning achievement

PupilHouseholdCommunity

characteristics

Welfare outcomes

E M I S

UNEB

Challenges when evaluating sector support

Attribution problemSelection effectsUnobservables

Heterogeneity of interventions

Treatment of unobservables

Check on random allocation of interventionsDouble differencingExploitation of natural restrictionsTriangulation

Quality of data

Analyse consistency through the linking of dataSystematic errors may be treated as unobservables

Conclusions

At the sector level, interventions are heterogeneous and therefore an evaluation will rely mainly on secondary data.In the social sectors, data become increasingly available.Impact evaluations of sector support may help to analyse important issues.Evaluation agencies must become familiar with the methods and techniques of rigorous impact evaluations.We must further develop the methods for analysing secondary data.It’s important to work closely together with partner countries.