Working papers

These papers cover a range of content. They may focus on current issues, debates and enduring challenges. Policy-relevant papers in this series synthesise or draw on relevant 3ie-funded studies and reviews, as well as other rigorous evidence, to offer new analyses, findings, insights and recommendations. Methods papers and technical guides help advance understanding, design, and use of rigorous and appropriate evaluations and reviews. 3ie also uses this series to publish lessons learned from 3ie grant-making.

Latest working papers

Working papers

Promoting Commitment to Evaluate

Working paper 3ie PDF icon 2013  

There is increasing evidence available on the impact of development interventions, yet the demand and use of this evidence in informing policy is limited.

Building on what works: Commitment to Evaluation (c2e) Indicator

Working paper 3ie PDF icon 2013  

A commitment to evaluation is demonstrated when agenciescommission credible evaluations on a systematic basis, make the evaluations publicly available and design programmes that are in line with ev

From impact evaluations to paradigm shift. A case study of the Buenos Aires Ciudadanía Porteña conditional cash transfer programme

Working paper 3ie PDF icon 2012  

This case study looks at how the evaluations of Ciudadanía Porteña: Con Todo Derecho, a cash transfer programme in Buenos Aires, were used to influence policy. Gabriela Agosto et al, show that the

Validating one of the world’s largest conditional cash transfer programmes

Working paper 3ie PDF icon 2012  

A case study on how an impact evaluation of Brazil’s Bolsa Família Programme helped silence its critics and improve policy

Addressing attribution of cause and effect in small n impact evaluations: towards an integrated framework

Working paper 3ie PDF icon 2012  

There exists considerable consensus among impact evaluators conducting large n impact evaluations involving tests of statistical difference in outcomes between the treatment group and a properly co

Behind the scenes: managing and conducting large scale impact evaluations in Colombia

Working paper 3ie PDF icon 2011  

Bertha Briceno, Laura Cuesta and Orazio Attanasio highlight experiences in the practice of impact evaluation in Colombia.

Can we obtain the required rigour without randomisation?

Working paper 3ie PDF icon 2011  

Karl Hughes and Claire Hutchings describe problems development organizations face in moving beyond outcome measurement.

Sound expectations: from impact evaluations to policy change

Working paper 3ie PDF icon 2011  

Vanesa Weyrauch and Gala Diaz Langou develop a conceptual framework to identify factors that help or hinder impact evaluation and analyze how they influence policy.

A can of worms? Implications of rigorous impact evaluations for development agencies

Working paper 3ie PDF icon 2011  

Eric Roetman highlights the practical and ethical dilemmas of conducting impact evaluations.

Conducting influential impact evaluations in China: The experience of the Rural Education Action Project

Working paper 3ie PDF icon 2011  

Mathew Boswell, Scott Rozelle, Linxiu Zhang, Chengfang Liu, Renfu Luo and Yaojiang Shi describe strategies that Rural Education Action Project (REAP) has employed to maximize the e