The AGRODEP Training Course on Impact Evaluation and Analysis of Development Interventions (Part 1) was held from May 13-18. The course was organized by Tanguy Bernard of IFPRI and instructed by Jenny Aker of Tufts University and Alan de Brauw and Ruth Vargas Hill of IFPRI.
The week-long training course, the first of two parts, covered theoretical and empirical areas in the field of impact evaluation, as well as real-life applications of a variety of impact evaluation techniques. Sector-specific topics included agriculture, education, finance, health, infrastructure, and safety nets. The second part of the course will be held in November 2013, and participants are asked to attend both courses.
Fourteen AGRODEP members participated in the course: Adetola Adeoti, Olajide Ajao, Oluwole Matthew Akinnagbe, Hillary Bett, Omer Combary, Charles Jumbe, Mercyline Kamande, Samba Mbaye, Damien Mededji, Nancy Mwange, Abiodun Obayelu, Evans Osabuohien, Denis Ouedraogo, and Epiphane Sodjinou. The participants represented six countries and a wide range of experience and interests. The training course was well-received by all participants; participant feedback will be very valuable in improving future training experiences of AGRODEP members. The quotes below highlight just some of the positive feedback received from participants.
Oluwole Matthew Akinnagbe of the University of Nigeria had this to say about the training:
"The 2013 AGRODEP training on Impact Evaluation and Analysis of Development Interventions (Part 1) was indeed a rewarding and refreshing experience. I learnt the various methodologies in estimating the impact of a policy or interventions. The training exposed me to new opportunity and when to apply the various tools. Indeed, this will go a long way in improving my skill in planning and evaluating programmes. I must commend the AGRODEP team particularly Tanguy Bernard (for his coordinating role), Diop Alimatou (for her logistic support), and all the facilitators - Jenny C. Aker, Alan de Brauw and Ruth Vargas Hill, for a job well done."
Abiodun Obayelu of the Federal University of Agriculture had this to say:
" . . . I learnt a lot through the training on better ways to design and conduct research on impact evaluations as well as appropriate analyses that can be done against the crude method which I had used in the past (just looking for those who have adopted and those who have not adopted the intervention project/program and run a common regression such as probit or logit). I also learnt different approaches of randomization and how they can be used through explicit illustrations with case studies during the training workshop and different conditions when impact evaluation methodologies (such as Randomized Control Trial (RCT), Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD), Difference-in-Differences (DD), Propensity Score Matching (PSM), Instrumental Variables (IV)) can be used against the belief that any of these can be used as convenient for the researcher. Further, I learnt the appropriate conditions underpinning the use of different Treatment Effects (ATE, ATT, ITT, LATE) and how to estimate Intention to Treat (ITT), Local Average Treatment Effects (LATE) when we have perfect and imperfect compliance and when to use encouragement design. We were also exposed to social protection program design and evaluation; managing and minimizing threats to analysis when we have cases such as attrition and spillovers. Lastly, the workshop was an eye-opener on how to evaluate the impact of so many untapped researchable development interventions going on in areas of health and social protection, labour, agriculture, education existing in my country (Nigeria). In order to be more on impact evaluation, more trainings are still needed from AGRODEP and AGRODEP Impact Evaluation Network (AIEN) members."
Read more about the training course and view pictures from the event.