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ImpactEvaluationforFinancialInclusion|CGAP

ImpactEvaluationforFinancial
Inclusion
23January2013
ConnectingFundersandResearchersonImpactEvaluationforFinancial
Inclusion
CGAPandtheUKDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment(DFID)convenedover
70peopleincludingfinancialsectorspecialistsandevaluationstaffofregional
developmentbanks,developmentfinanceinstitutions,andfoundationsaswellas
researchersforaworkshoponimpactevaluationforfinancialinclusionon1011
January2013inLondon.

Themountingcallforrigorousevaluationindevelopmentoverallcombinedthe
debatesabouttheimpactofmicrofinance,haveplacedfundersoffinancialinclusion
underspecialpressure.Fundersarealsocommittedtoimprovingtheevidence
base.Thechallengeis:howtofindappropriateapproachestoimpactevaluation
thatarerigorousyetalsopragmaticandcosteffective.Theworkshopwasan
opportunitytostarttacklingthischallenge.Inwelcomingtheparticipants,Alexia
Latortue,DeputyCEOofCGAP,sharedtheaspirationthatprogressonimpact
researchandthegrowingevidencebasebematchedbyabetterunderstandingof
howtoactonevidenceforbetterdecisionmaking.

Thefirstdaywasdedicatedtodiscussingdifferentresearchmethodsforimpact
evaluation.PhilipDavies,DeputyDirectorof3ie,setthestagebystressingthe
importanceofaskingtherightquestionsbeforelaunchingintoresearchdesign.
NathanaelGoldberg,PolicyDirectoratInnovationsforPovertyAction,presented
approachestoconductingrandomizedcontrolledevaluations,whileAlexisDiamond,
ResultsMeasurementSpecialistatIFC,gaveanoverviewofquantitativenon
experimentalmethods(quasiexperiments).SyedHashemi,FounderandDirectorof
theBRACDevelopmentInstitute,outlinedqualitativeresearchmethods.The
researchershighlightedtheadvantagesandlimitationsofeachmethod.
Participantsstronglysuggestedthatusingmixedmethodscombiningqualitative
andquantitativemethodsisbestsuitedforimpactstudiesthatenablethemto
learnnotonlywhatchangehappenedfollowingtheirinterventions,butalsowhy.

Theseconddaywasdesignedwithaninteractiveformatfortheparticipantsto
discussspecificquestionsandchallengesinusingimpactevaluationstoinform
programandpolicydecisions.Discussionsrangedfromhowmuchmoneyshouldbe
allocatedtoevaluationasapercentageofoverallprogrambudgetstohowtoincite
http://www.cgap.org/news/impactevaluationfinancialinclusion

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ImpactEvaluationforFinancialInclusion|CGAP

privatesectorpartnerstosharedataneededforsoundevaluation.Specialsessions
onspecificaspectsoffinancialinclusionwork,includingmobilebankingand
interventionsatthemesoandmacrolevel,alsoadvancedchallengesandideasfor
smartevaluation.

StefanDercon,ChiefEconomistatDFID,askedparticipantstoreflectontheway
impactevaluationisusedtodaytoinformpolicy:Whileevidencehasalways
mattered,itisthewayweproduceanduseitthathaschanged.

Topics:Impact|FunderEffectiveness

http://www.cgap.org/news/impactevaluationfinancialinclusion

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