Evaluating the Impact of Regional Development Programs

Abstract

The purpose of this guideline is to discuss the objectives and approaches of regional (subnational) development programs in order to provide guidance on issues related to evaluating the impact of these programs. Regional development programs are designed to improve the income-generating capacity of, and reduce poverty in, a focus region within a country. The primary and unique characteristics of these programs lie in promoting a broad range of productive activities in a predefined region. To do this, regional development programs often need to address the institutional structure under which decisions are made as well as how economic resources should flow from the center to the local level. As such, the programs involve both productive and institutional transformation. Evaluating the impact of regional development programs is complicated by the need to assess both the impact of productive investment as well as the institutional transformation. As with all impact evaluations, evaluating regional development programs is thus much more likely to be successful if planned along with the design of the program. This guideline provides a summary of the options for setting up evaluations of regional development programs, while carefully considering the need to go beyond evaluating the impact on beneficiaries alone.