Why are innovative approaches to evaluation and evidence synthesis important?

This podcast examines why it's important to use innovative approaches to evaluate development programmes and evidence. In recent years, there’s been increased scrutiny of international development and particularly foreign aid. For example, the UK’s Department of International Development (DFID) regularly faces criticisms regarding the effectiveness of its aid programmes from publications such as the Daily Mail and Sunday Express. At the same time, the Sustainable Development Goals have helped create an ambitious and multi-layered development agenda. Development practitioners are increasingly required to plan and work systematically. They also have to manage in a chaotic and dynamic world. In this podcast, we explore why robust evaluation of development programmes is more important than ever. We also consider the work of the Centre of Excellence in Development Impact and Learning (CEDIL), which is administered through the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and hosted at the London International Development Centre (LIDC). The speakers are Marcella Vigneri, Research Fellow at CEDIL, and Dr. Matthew Jukes, Fellow and Senior Education Evaluation Specialist at RTI International.