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on Project, Program and Portfolio Management |
| By: | Michael Woolcock (Center for International Development at Harvard University) |
| Abstract: | Evaluations of development projects are conducted to assess their net effectiveness and, by extension, to guide decisions regarding the merits of scaling-up successful projects and/or replicating them elsewhere. The key characteristics of ‘complex’ interventions – numerous face- to-face interactions, high discretion, imposed obligations, pervasive unknowns – rarely fit neatly into standard evaluation protocols, requiring the deployment of a wider array of research methods, tools and theory. The careful use of such ‘mixed methods’ approaches is especially important for discerning the conditions under which ‘successful’ projects of all kinds might be expanded or adopted elsewhere. These claims, and the practical implications to which they give rise, draw on an array of recent evaluations in different sectors in development. |
| Keywords: | Learning and Evaluation |
| Date: | 2019–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cid:wpfacu:348&r=all |
| By: | Silvia Marchesi (University of Milano Bicocca and Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano); Tania Masi (University of Milano Bicocca) |
| Abstract: | In this paper we explore the factors that determine the level at which World Bank projects are implemented. In particular, focusing on the importance of informational asymmetry between levels of government, we empirically assess whether this choice is influenced by the relative importance of local information at the recipient country level. Using an AidData dataset that provides information on more than 5800 World Bank projects for the period 1995-2014, and controlling for characteristics at both country and project level, we find that transparency does influence the probability that a project is implemented locally rather than nationally. More specifically, a one standard deviation decline in transparency increases the probability that a World Bank project will be implemented locally by 3 percent. |
| Keywords: | World Bank projects, Implementing Agency, Transparency |
| JEL: | F35 O19 D83 |
| Date: | 2019–03–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:csl:devewp:447&r=all |
| By: | Philippe Delacote (BETA - Bureau d'Économie Théorique et Appliquée - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - UNISTRA - Université de Strasbourg - UL - Université de Lorraine - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Climate Economics Chair - Université Paris Dauphine (Paris 9)); Gwenolé Le Velly (CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - FRE2010 - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - UM - Université de Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Montpellier SupAgro - Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier); Gabriela Simonet (CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - FRE2010 - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - UM - Université de Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Montpellier SupAgro - Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier, CIFOR - Center for International Forestry Research) |
| Abstract: | Since the emergence of the REDD+ mechanism, hundreds of projects have emerged around the globe. Much attention has been given to REDD+ projects in the literature, but the conditions under which they are likely to be efficient ares till not well known. In this article, we study how the location of REDD+ projects is chosen and how those location choices influence project additionality. Based on a sample of six REDD+ projects in Brazil, we propose an empirical analysis of the location choices and estimate additionality in the first years of implementation using impact evaluation techniques. In order to explain the heterogeneity of the empirical results, we present a simple theoretical model and show that project location is strongly influenced by the type of project proponent, which appears to be a good proxy for its objectives, whether oriented toward environmental impacts, development impacts, or external funding. Our results suggest that (1) the incentives behind REDD+ certification mechanisms can lead to low environmental efforts or an investment in areas that are not additional, (2) location biases are dependent on the REDD+ project manager's type, and (3) the existence of a location bias does not necessarily preclude additionality. |
| Keywords: | REDD+,deforestation,additionality,conservation policy,spatial analysis |
| Date: | 2018–12–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpceem:hal-01954923&r=all |
| By: | Comin, Diego; Licht, Georg; Pellens, Maikel; Schubert, Torben |
| Abstract: | Among available policy levers to boost innovation, investment in applied research organisations has received little empirical attention. In this paper, we analyse the case of the Fraunhofer Society, the largest public applied research organization in Germany. We analyse whether project interaction with Fraunhofer affects the performance and strategic orientation of firms. To that end, we assemble a unique dataset based on the confidential Fraunhofer-internal project management system and merge it with the German contribution to the Community Innovation Survey (CIS), which contains panel information on firm performance. Using instrumental variables that exploit the scale heteroscedasticity of the independent variable (Lewbel, 2012), we identify the causal effects of Fraunhofer interactions on firm performance and strategies. We find a strong, positive effect of project interaction on growth in turnover and productivity. In particular, we find that a one percent increase in the size of the contracts with FhG leads to an increase in growth rate of sales by 1.3 percentage points, and to an increase in the growth rate of productivity by 0.8 percentage points in the short-run. We also provide evidence of considerable long-run effects accumulating to 18% growth in sales and 12% growth in productivity over the course of 15 years. More detailed analyses reveal, amongst others, that the performance effects become stronger the more often firms interact with Fraunhofer and that interactions aiming at generation of technology have a stronger effect than interactions aiming merely at the implementation of existing technologies. Finally, we provide evidence on the macroeconomic productivity effects of Fraunhofer interactions on the German economy. Our results indicate that doubling Fraunhofer revenues from industry (+€ 0.68 bn.) would increase overall productivity in the German economy by 0.55%. |
| Keywords: | innovation,R&D,diffusion,applied research,Fraunhofer |
| JEL: | O33 O38 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:19006&r=all |
| By: | OECD |
| Abstract: | Research Infrastructures (RIs) are indispensable for enabling and developing research in almost all scientific domains and represent an increasingly large share of research investment. As policy makers, funding agencies and RI management are increasingly expected to justify key decisions about implementing new projects or investing in existing ones, there is a demand for credible methodologies for assessing the overall impact of RIs.This report proposes a “Framework for assessing the scientific and socio-economic impact of research infrastructures”. It aims to provide funders, decision-makers and RI managers with a generic and versatile tool, based on current community practices, to evaluate the achievement of scientific and socio-economic objectives in a realistic way. The framework can be adapted for different types of RIs and different stages in the RI lifecycle. This tool should facilitate the communication and reporting between different RI stakeholders. |
| Keywords: | impact assessment, research infrastructures, scientific impact, socio-economic impact |
| Date: | 2019–03–28 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:stiaac:65-en&r=all |