Many USAID performance evaluations produce complaints about the accuracy and reliability of the findings and the subsequent usefulness of the study. While there is much that we can do to improve how our performance evaluations are conducted (see our recent guidance here), many of these complaints can be directly linked to shortcomings in the feasibility, scope, and clarity of the evaluation questions.
In this webinar, Andrew Green, Aleta Starosta, and Ryan Hatano of The Cloudburst Group present findings and guidance from a study on evaluation questions in the Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) sector commissioned by the DRG Bureau. The webinar explores three components of a successful evaluation question - feasibility, scope, and clarity - and offers examples, sample language, and processes for deriving an appropriate set of evaluation questions. The presentation concludes with guidance for study commissioners to be followed by a discussion.
Andrew Green is a DRG and applied research expert with twenty years of experience designing and leading evaluations, assessments, and special studies for international development. He has been the technical lead for the E3 Analytics and Evaluation IDIQ, Analytical Services IDIQs, USAID global and regional evaluation mechanisms, and Departments of State and Labor evaluation mechanisms. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was a USAID Democracy Fellow.
Aleta Starosta is a Senior Researcher and Global Development Practice Lead at The Cloudburst Group with over a decade of experience collaborating with USAID to design, conduct, and disseminate rigorous research and evaluation. She is co-author of multiple studies aimed at improving USAID/DRG research and evaluation processes, including a retrospective of USAID/DRG’s portfolio of impact evaluations and a study on how USAID Missions use (or don’t use) evaluation findings to inform programming decisions. She serves as Chief of Party on the Learning, Evaluation, and Research II and III Task Order for USAID's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance. Aleta holds a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan.
Ryan Hatano is a Research Analyst at The Cloudburst Group. He has supported various utilization research projects, including a retrospective analysis of USAID/DRG’s portfolio of impact evaluations and a utilization measurement analysis (UMA) to better understand how research and evaluation products are used by USAID units. He holds a Master’s in Quantitative Economics from the University of Tartu.