Evaluation of comprehensive Capacity Development projects: performance determinant factors
Webinar | Online
-
Organized by:
Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences
About the Event
The concept of Capacity Building or Capacity Development (CD) emerged in the early 1990s and gained official recognition with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness in 2005 and the Accra Agenda for Action in 2008. Since then, CD has been widely referenced in development practice, despite lacking a solid theoretical foundation.
In addition to this theoretical gap, projects classified as CD—those using CD terminology in their titles and/or descriptions—often yield significantly poorer evaluation outcomes. What are the reasons behind this phenomenon, and is there a project or evaluation design that could compensate for this negative difference?
We argue that a comprehensive CD intervention must address three levels simultaneously: the individual, organizational, and systemic levels, as these levels are highly complementary. This approach should also be reflected in the evaluation process.
In the webinar, we will present our research, which examines our theoretical concept. Our aim is to determine whether comprehensive CD projects, or projects targeting sustainable transformative change in general, yield better outcomes than those merely claiming to be CD. During the presentation, we will provide a brief overview of CD in development practice, discuss current evaluation methodologies employed in CD initiatives, outline our proposed theoretical framework, and present the preliminary findings of our ongoing research.
We invite all participants to join the discussion, share their own experiences, opinions and suggestions on how to properly evaluate CD interventions.
In addition to this theoretical gap, projects classified as CD—those using CD terminology in their titles and/or descriptions—often yield significantly poorer evaluation outcomes. What are the reasons behind this phenomenon, and is there a project or evaluation design that could compensate for this negative difference?
We argue that a comprehensive CD intervention must address three levels simultaneously: the individual, organizational, and systemic levels, as these levels are highly complementary. This approach should also be reflected in the evaluation process.
In the webinar, we will present our research, which examines our theoretical concept. Our aim is to determine whether comprehensive CD projects, or projects targeting sustainable transformative change in general, yield better outcomes than those merely claiming to be CD. During the presentation, we will provide a brief overview of CD in development practice, discuss current evaluation methodologies employed in CD initiatives, outline our proposed theoretical framework, and present the preliminary findings of our ongoing research.
We invite all participants to join the discussion, share their own experiences, opinions and suggestions on how to properly evaluate CD interventions.
Speakers
| Name | Title | Biography |
|---|---|---|
| Taisiya Lebedeva | Junior Researcher | Taisiya Lebedeva is working as a junior researcher on the topic of “Capacity Building global” within the project “TransRegINT – Transformation of the Lower Rhine Region: Innovation, sustainability, participation” at the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve, Germany. |
| Oliver Serfling | Professor of Economic Policy and Development Economics | Oliver Serfling is Professor at the Faculty of Society and Economics of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve, Germany. He chairs the competence center on societal transformation and is academic director of the Master’s Degree Program on Sustainable Development Management. |