Evaluating complex interventions in international development

Resource type
Authors/contributors
Title
Evaluating complex interventions in international development
Abstract
This paper reviews promising methods for the evaluation of complex interventions that are new or have been used in a limited way. It offers a taxonomy of complex interventions in international development and draws on literature to discuss several methods that can be used to evaluate these interventions. Complex interventions are those that are characterised by multiple components, multiple stakeholders, or multiple target populations. They may also be interventions that incorporate multiple processes of behavioural change. While such interventions are very common and receive a large proportion of development aid budgets, they are rarely subject to rigorous evaluations. The CEDIL Methods Working Paper, ‘Evaluating Complex Interventions in International Development’, reviews promising methods for the evaluation of complex interventions that are new or have been used in a limited way. It offers a taxonomy of complex interventions in international development and draws on literature to discuss several methods that can be used to evaluate these interventions. The paper focuses its attention on methods that address causality and allow us to state conclusively whether an intervention works or not. It shows that several rigorous methods developed in different disciplines can be adapted and used to evaluate complex interventions in international development.
Series Title
CEDIL Methods Working Paper 6
Place
London and Oxford
Institution
CEDIL
Date
2021.12
Language
en-GB
Accessed
17/06/2022, 12:31
Extra
Section: Publications
Citation
Masset, E., Shrestha, S., & Juden, M. (2021). Evaluating complex interventions in international development (CEDIL Methods Working Paper 6). CEDIL. https://cedilprogramme.org/publications/cedil-methods-working-paper-6/