Introduction to impact evaluation

Credible and appropriate impact evaluation can greatly improve the effectiveness of development. The increasing emphasis on impact evaluation in development has led to many questions. What constitutes credible and appropriate impact evaluation? How should impact evaluations be managed? What measures and data sources are appropriate? How can qualitative and quantitative data be effectively combined in impact evaluation? What should be done to support the appropriate use of impact evaluations? What are the implications of the increasing focus on impact evaluation for other types of monitoring and evaluation? This is the first of four notes related to impact evaluation developed by InterAction. The other notes in the series are Linking Monitoring and Evaluation to Impact Evaluation, Introduction to Mixed Methods in Impact Evaluation, and Use of Impact Evaluation Results. The complete series can be found at http://www.interaction.org/impact-evaluation-notes.