Management Response Introduction World Bank Group management welcomes this evaluation of its work in impact evaluation (IE). IE is an important element of the strong focus of the Bank Group on development effectiveness and results. It is a valuable tool in the continuum of approaches to measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of development interventions, notably in the context of World Bank Group operations and investments. The first section sets out comments from World Bank management. The second section provides IFC management comments. The Management Action Record is attached.
I. World Bank Management Comments World Bank management sees the IEG evaluation as a welcome addition to the ongoing discussion on development effectiveness. The choice of measurement tool needs to be tailored to the type of activity the Bank is supporting, knowledge gaps, and resources available. Client ownership is also key. There is no single development effectiveness measurement method that is universally applicable and, as with Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) evaluations, tools can be effectively combined to strengthen the findings. For example, IE combines well with cost-benefit analysis for some operations. Within that context, Bank management strongly agrees with IEG that IE is a fundamental implement in the evaluation tool kit and that advances in methodology have added to its strength as a development effectiveness measurement and learning mechanism.
World Bank as a Leader in IE The Bank took a lead in setting out the value of IE and explaining its usefulness in providing rigorous and credible evidence of development impact. Over time, that work has helped set in motion a growing demand for IE among client countries. Internally, the Bank has also contributed to the growth of that IE culture. As a result, the Bank has the largest IE program of any development institution. The IEG evaluation graphically illustrates the growth of IE since the late 1990s, with a clear acceleration starting in 2005 after the creation of the Development Impact Evaluation Initiative (DIME). DIME was a major driver of (i) the quality of the Bank’s IE work; (ii) a better strategic focus; and (iii) wider dissemination of not only the results of IE but also high-quality tools for the design and implementation of IE. Trust fund support, notably the Spanish Trust Fund for Impact Evaluation, has been important in supporting IE and IE training and dissemination. The quality of Bank-supported IE activities is evident in the number of refereed publications arising from this work.
Management Response
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