4. Processes
Local solutions to a global pandemic: the way of the future? - Tim Dennell
This is the eleventh note of the Groupe URD’s COVID-19 Observatory, which focuses on local initiatives and solutions, which have flourished in civil society, as opposed to the traditional public aid actors (government response, local collectives, public agencies, etc.) as well as aid provided by the international aid sector.
Technical note for planning and conducting evaluations during COVID-19 - WFP Office of Evaluation
The objective of this internal note is to support decision-making processes about ongoing and planned evaluations (centralized and decentralized), ensure transparency and consistency of approaches, and clarity on the principles that should guide evaluation management during the currently constrained circumstances for evaluations other than impact evaluations.
Specifically, this operational note aims to: clarify and reaffirm the key overarching principles that should guide WFP evaluation work in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the related WFP Corporate Emergency Response; present the main evaluability considerations that should inform COVID-related evaluation planning adjustments; outline possible scenarios for adjusting the planning and conduct of evaluations within WFP in the context of the global COVID 19 pandemic (see figure 1 below); clarify the minimum standards and features required for remote evaluations as opposed to desk studies.
The Wellcome Trust has experience responding to epidemics: we have been involved in tackling Ebola in Africa, Zika in Latin America and other infectious diseases. But it is the first time the organisation has to respond to a pandemic that hits home and affects us all. A wide range of evaluation practitioners and organisations around the world have flagged that the pandemic is making evaluation a difficult exercise to pursue due to changing priorities and reallocation of budgets, lack of time from staff to engage with evaluation efforts, etc. and Wellcome is no exception to that. So how are we adapting our evaluation and learning function during the pandemic?
The world is experiencing what some may think is a “typical” black swan event: rare, extremely impactful, and only retrospectively predictable. It may also be argued that what we are witnessing is rather the consequence of a lack of prevention and preparation in the face of imminent danger. At any rate, even as we watch the virus reverberate across the world, it still catches us by surprise when it washes onto our shores. This crisis is particularly insidious as it attacks and employs our main defence and coping mechanisms — health systems and social contacts — to propagate itself.
With all hands on deck, those in the business of designing and deciding on the current massive support to countries against COVID-19 — staff, management, and boards — as well as those in charge of examining the effectiveness of this support — the evaluators — need to engage to help improve the results of the interventions being deployed. This paper discusses four areas in which designers, policymakers, and evaluators can engage during the current emergency work of international financial and development institutions.
How do we adapt our evaluation approach to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic? - EvalForward
This page shows an online discussion on how evaluators have been adapting their processes and practices to the current situation.
Adapting evaluation in the time of COVID-19 - Part 1: MANAGE - Better Evaluation - Alice Macfarlan
Evaluation is critical to supporting effective adaption, and effective evaluation at this time will need to be adaptive. This means rethinking how to approach all of the tasks in an evaluation. This new blog series at BetterEvaluation is designed to help evaluators reflect on issues and options to do with evaluation, and to bring together useful knowledge at this unprecedented time.
Effective, agile M&E systems are a key element of the pandemic response. For all countries, they are vital for the design of evidence-based policies, monitoring their progress and ensuring that the poorest and most vulnerable are not left behind. Support to developing countries for building their M&E systems and capacities will need to match the urgency and ambition of the global response to the coronavirus. These efforts are vital now and to build the capacities for responding to future crises.
Good practices during COVID-19, OECD/DAC and IEO/UNDP - Joint Guidance Note for Evaluation Units
The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled an immediate response by the development evaluation community. Building on informal consultations in a series of knowledge-sharing exchanges, consultations and webinars convened by OECD/DAC Network on Development Evaluation (EvalNet) and the Independent Evaluation Office of UNDP the two institutions have jointly prepared this guidance note capturing good practices for evaluations during COVID-19.
Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on impact evaluation activities in East Africa - 3IE
The Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA) conducted a survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on evaluation research. It shows that the vast majority of evaluation researchers (87%) have stopped all in-person fieldwork, although a slight majority (51%) were still conducting research via the internet. Two-thirds of respondents reported new delays or other issues in their collaborations, and a quarter of respondents have already seen funding delayed.
Implications of COVID-19 on evaluations in the ILO, Practical tips on adapting to the situation.
Guidelines issued by the ILO on evaluations during COVID-19: decision-making on when to go, when not to go and how to adapt processes and tools to the situation.
Coronavirus Government Response Tracker
Governments are taking a wide range of measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This tool aims to track and compare policy responses around the world, rigorously and consistently.
World Health Organisation Corona Crisis Overview
Situation reports, travel advice, corona research and development, and more on the WHO web site.
US Government Travel Advisory per Country
For the most up-to-date information on overseas travel from the U.S. Department of State.
This blog post focuses on the immediate response in terms of what the virus might mean for both interventions and ongoing surveys.
Related documents
Planning & conducting evaluations during COVID-19
English (209.52 KB - PDF)