Evaluating NGO Achievements"is the title of a 5 page paper by Rick Davies, to be included as a chapter in the forthcoming "Arnold Companion to Development Studies" (due 2001). The paper starts with a review of the different perspectives that have been taken on assessing NGO achivements. It then looks at "What do they know" and concludes that the lack of conclusive after decades of work evidence needs some explanation. Six possible explanations are explored: (a) expectations that are too ambitious , (b) complexity caused by scale, (c) diversity of activities, (d) vagueness of objectives, (e) the tools being used, and (f) the absence of baseline information and adequate monitoring systems. The final section on "Where to next?" looks at actual and potential changes in information flows between aid organisations, associated with the internet, and the implications for more direct and public access to information about NGO achievements. The paper includes a "Guide to Reading" and an extensive list of references. (Item No. 90, posted 02/09/00)