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Books Noted

(submitted by Keith Mackay, Operations Evaluation
Department, World Bank)
Influential Evaluations: Evaluations that Improved Performance and Impacts of Development Programs
"Evaluations can provide a highly-cost effective way to improve the performance and impact of development policies, programs and projects. This requires that evaluations be conducted at the right time, with a focus on key issues of concern to policy makers and managers, and that the results are presented in a user-friendly format. Evaluations which fail these criteria are unlikely to be useful -- even when they are methodologically sound. This booklet presents 8 case studies of evaluations and reviews which have had a significant impact. For many of these, it has been possible to compare the costs of conducting the evaluation and the benefits produced, and to show that the evaluation was a highly cost-effective tool for improving program management and for supporting government resource allocation decisions. The booklet provides a summary of lessons learned about how to ensure evaluations are utilized intensively. The booklet is available in English, Arabic, French and Spanish. If you want to read about the 8 case studies and utilization lessons in more detail, a longer volume is also available"

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