J-PAL Executive Education: Evaluating Social Programs, Europe 2018

Program Objectives 

This five-day in-person training gives participants a thorough understanding of why and when researchers and policymakers might choose to conduct randomized evaluations and how randomized evaluations are designed in real-world settings. The course covers basic concepts related to measuring impact through randomized evaluations and discusses technical design choices as well as pragmatic considerations when conducting a randomized study. It reviews the benefits and methods of randomization, how to choose an appropriate sample size, and common threats and pitfalls to the validity of an experiment. It also covers the importance of a needs assessment and a theory of change, and how to measure outcomes effectively—tools that are critical for all program evaluations.

Program Focus

The following key questions and concepts are covered:  

• What is an evaluation?
• Why and when is a rigorous evaluation of social impact needed?
• The common pitfalls of evaluations and how randomization helps avoid them.
• The key components of a good randomized evaluation design.
• Alternative techniques for incorporating randomization into project design.
• How do you determine the appropriate sample size, measure outcomes, and manage data?
• Guarding against threats that may undermine the integrity of the results.
• Techniques for the analysis and interpretation of results.
• How to maximize policy impact and test external validity.
• Understanding and using the Theory of Change framework.

Target Audience 

The course is designed for directors, managers, officers, and researchers from governments, NGOs/nonprofits, international development organizations, and foundations, as well as trained economists looking to retool.

Key Information

Applications are now closed. For any late application, please contact Ilf Bencheikh, ibencheikh@povertyactionlab.org.