Theory of change and evaluation planning your theory of change is a vital step before planning your evaluation. Developing a theory of change keystone accountability. Software resources with free limited usage include. It also analyses possibilities for taking these principles forward in light of the results agenda. Dfids approach to empowerment and accountability terms. We hope that the content will provide you with both the inspiration and practical guidance to apply. The approach that draws from program theory evaluation, social network analysis. Methodological steps to develop a theory of change in this section we will tackle the key methodological aspects needed to develop a theory of change. A theory of change defined a toc is a decision support tool that illustrates the causal links and sequences of events needed for an activity or intervention to lead to a desired outcome or impact and articulates the assumptions underlying each step in the chain. This theory is supported by the fact that the changes were initially made known to only 12 of the agencys. Secretaries of state and the development committee members are keen to know what. It does not offer definitive answers and guidelines.
Well, this confidence is mainly due to their theory of change toc. Analysis of context does the intervention make sense as a response to the analysis of the context. A critical mass of dfid country offices has now developed the expertise to adopt a drivers of change approach. This guidance seeks to ensure that uk aid applicants and grant holders understand what the direct department for international development dfid means by a theory of change toc, and more specifically, that they. Review of the use of theory of change in international. These communications guidelines are for uk aid direct grant holders organisations that are currently receiving funding from uk aid direct.
Using dfid evaluation guidance this guidance will take you step by step through the practice of designing, managing. Although there are some exceptions, few violence against women and girls programmes have. A theory of change can be developed for an intervention. Review report and practical resource isabel vogel, april 2012 uk. It is focused in particular on mapping out or filling in what has been described as the missing middle between what a program or change. As a whole, this set of guidance sheets attempts to summarise and share emerging thinking on the sustainable livelihoods approach. Rationale and approach addressing violence against women and girls in. It is a practical model that allows you to articulate how you will achieve your aim, and what assumptions you are making. Synthesis paper 3 the drivers of change approach debbie warrener. Little is known about its use to develop mental health care plans in low and middle income countries. May 14, 2012 theories of change is just the latest attempt to shine a light on what lies behind, what makes everything work or fail. Guidance notes on implementation of wiser value for money.
This presentation describes how the dfid impact programme aims to help build the market for impact investment in subsaharan africa and south asia and support poverty reduction. We constantly reach for new tools, but we keep alighting on small islands and losing the big picture. At the programme level, we find dfids results management tools business cases, logical frameworks logframes and theories of change to be of variable quality. A theory of change for tackling violence against women and girls.
An appropriate model of behaviour or theory of change that provides a guide towards. This document provides guidance on how to use uk aid direct and uk aid branding. Dfid senior civil servants in april 2015 and refined during july 2015 in a workshop with programme delivery, policy, learning and knowledge management professionals from across dfid, other government departments and other aid donors through an international benchmarking group established by dfid. In some representations, like the post2011 dfid log frame guidance dfid. A theory of change for tackling violence against women and. It aims to provide practical advice and tips to support dfid advisors and programme managers and other uk government departments to support the development of a theory of change for integrated economic development and vawg programming. Theories of change toc are vital to evaluation success for a number of reasons. Although the core objective of social protection is meeting shortfalls in peoples basic consumption and protecting the vulnerable in the face of shocks and stresses, social protection also has the potential to contribute to wider objectives including economic development. Generating evidence in education impact evaluations. We also explain the two different types of grants available, and eligibility requirements.
At the programme level, we find dfid s results management tools business cases, logical frameworks logframes and theories of change to be of variable quality. Part i examined how theories of change are used in the design phase. Before each example is a checklist to assess whether the theory of change includes an analysis of the context, a clear hypotheses of change, and an assessment of the evidence this is what dfid thinks they should include. Developing a theory of change what is a theory of change. Isabel vogel for the uk department of international. This is a guided example of a theory of change exercise for a program called project superwoman that actknowledge created in partnership with the aspen institute roundtable on community change. Aug 30, 2012 a new report on theory of change toc and its use in international development has just been produced by isabel vogel. A theory of change for a project or an organisation is a simple concept that takes. A database of consultants able to assist with studies has also been setup.
Key questions from comic reliefs guidance james 2012. This theory of change on ending gender based violence against women and girls consists of a. A practical guide to community programming on vawg. Sidney harris theory of change is essentially a comprehensive description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context. This document is the knowledge manager km evaluation plan for the dfid building resilience and adaptation to climate extremes and disasters braced programme. Using workshops to develop theories of change in five low. How to note on political economy analysis july version final. Using theories of change in monitoring and evaluation. Against this backdrop, the drivers of change team will disband at the end of september 2004. Dfids business plan 20112015 identifies tackling violence against women and girls as a priority and commits dfid to pilot new and innovative approaches to prevent it.
Participatory approaches to the development of a theory of. Dfid logframe measurement methodology guidance document. Theory of change toc is a critical thinking approach to program design. Actknowledge conducted the original evaluation on which this guided theory of change example is based. A new report on theory of change toc and its use in international development has just been produced by isabel vogel. Understand the terms used in relation to toc in uk aid match guidance. The theory of change toc on ending genderbased violence against women and girls consists of a diagram and accompanying narrative. It provides a detailed approach and outline of how the km plans to deliver a coherent package of evaluative activities across the project and programmelevel over the next three years.
A theory of change describes how change is assumed to come about through intervention in a prevailing situation. Manniondaniels fund manager for uk aid direct 1 uk aid direct financial guidance for grant holders 1. It can be developed for any level of intervention an event, a project, a programme, a policy, a strategy or an organization. Welcome to video 1 introducing the full guidance pack. Generating evidence in the education sector introduction 1 1. Developing a theory of change for your project what is a theory of change. Instead, it is intended to stimulate readers to reflect on the approach and make their own contributions to its further development. The theory is usually laid out in a diagram showing the connections between interventions and outcomes the causal pathways or results chains. Drivers of change analysis recognises that institutional performance is important to understanding change processes and how they impact upon the poor. A theory of change explains how activities are understood to produce a series of results that contribute to achieving the final intended impacts. Kanwal ahluwalia, kate bishop, helen derbyshire, nadja dolata, lauren donaldson, teresa durand, achim. Dfid guidance frames vfm at three levels which are clearly linked to the theory of change and logframe. Who is using theory of change in international development. The hps and thets guidance have contributed to strengthening partnerships.
The theory of change toc approach has been used to develop and evaluate complex health initiatives in a participatory way in high income countries. Dfid logframe measurement methodology guidance document 1 introduction the humanitarian leadership academy the academy is a global platform of learning connecting both humanitarian professionals and nontraditional responders. A new report on theory of change toc and its use in international development has just been produced. The challenge will be for dfid to maintain the momentum of these initiatives with decreasing staff resources but increasing programme spend.
It focuses specifically on how to address vawg in education programming, where dfid aims to make progress towards two key impacts. Understand the terms used in relation to toc in uk aid match guidance and templates. Theory of change how to navigate towards positive change. We focus on maximising the effectiveness of the uk aid budget for intended beneficiaries and on delivering value for money for uk taxpayers. Theory of change for improving the quality of general education in ethiopia checklist notes 1. Using theories of change in the cgiar research program on. This should include a strategic partnering model for how best to use its major and sme contractors. Dfid have put together 10 examples of theories of change from their programs. This twopart guidance note is part of a series of dfid guidance notes on vawg. Theory of change online toco is the only webbased software no download required that you can use to design and edit and store your theory of change, learn the concepts of theory of change, and capture your outcomes, indicators, rationales and assumptions in an interactive graphical environment. The report was commissioned by the dfid evaluation division and considers. Toc approaches, which section 2 implements in the form of guidance. Background there have been quite a few generic guidance documents written on the use of theories of change. The report was commissioned by the dfid evaluation division and considers the current uses and definitions of toc.
The theory is that dfid can use its position as one of the largest donors to drc and its engagement in security, governance and development, as well as its programmes in other sectors, to leverage in godrc, service provider, ngo, donor and other dfid programmes to the areas around the project roads. Nov 20, 2015 the paper highlights throughout examples of the organisational use of theories of change, each of which attempts to go some way towards addressing the criticisms of the approach to date. Theory of change vs logical framework whats the difference. The term theory of change toc has established itself in the development world. Theory of change espa ecosystem services for poverty alleviation. Jake allen, christian aid i recently spoke at a halfday dfid. You will see there is no standard format, although they all include a diagram and narrative text. This guidance seeks to ensure that uk aid applicants and grant holders understand what the match department for international development dfid means by a theory of change toc, and more specifically, that they. Over recent years dfid has invested considerably in political economy analysis through its drivers of change studies. Center for theory of change theory of change community.
The analysis of the context is made in a separate section. This has yielded a growing body of experience within dfid on how political economy analysis can be used to strengthen understanding and programming. Making the case for conflict sensitivity in security and justice sector reform programming. Impact planning, assessment and learning an overview 2. Jake allen, christian aid i recently spoke at a halfday dfid seminar discussing a draft. A theory of change is a diagram that explains how your project has an impact on young people. In this article, we present generic models of theories of change for both straightforward and more complex interventions. Introduction this document presents the basic guidelines for financial reporting covering dfid s uk aid direct fund. Developing theories of change for research projects. Dfid has been working formally with theory of change in in its programming since 2010.
Dfid guidance manual on water supply and sanitation programmes. Understand the terms used in relation to toc in uk aid direct guidance and templates. The working group is led by a steering committee composed of the department for international development dfid, united states agency for international development usaid, the world bank. Award is a professional development program that strengthens the research. A number of examples of evidencebased theories of change in the area of agriculture research for nutrition and health are discussed, as is the need for different versions of a theory of change for different purposes. This guidance covers the purpose and structure of the guidance pack, some practical information about filling in the concept note online form, the focus and approaches of the current uk aid direct funding round, along with its theory of change. By developing a theory of change based on good theory, managers can be better assured that their programmes are delivering the right activities for the desired outcomes. This note explains the drivers of change approach and its impact on the department for international developments dfid policies and programmes. Theory of change on tackling violence against women and girls toc, see diagram on page 2, and vawg guidance note 2. Theories of change is just the latest attempt to shine a light on what lies behind, what makes everything work or fail. However, once you start to plan your evaluation, practical considerations such as available data and tools may mean the outcomes on your theory of change arent exactly what youre going to be measuring in your evaluation.
The drivers of change approach is an important and innovative attempt to address this challenge. Is mainly used as a tool for program design and evaluation. Conceptual model for understanding drivers of change 8. Consider how your theory of change responds to wider strategic objectives, in this case those of the global goals, dfid and the uk aid direct fund also demonstrate how it responds to national government priorities or has the ability to hold the government to account useful links. Dfid department for international development dhf dengue haemorrhagic fever dho district health office.
Factors to consider when designing projects by uk aid. Developing a theory of change a guide to developing a theory of change as a framework for inclusive dialogue, learning and accountability for social impact. Practical approaches to theories of hange in onflict. The uk department for international development dfid, in line with other donors, places stronger emphasis on results based management. Dfid s approach to empowerment and accountability terms of reference 1. Dfid nigeria perceptions on change in nigeria before and after doc analysis 26 diagram 1. The purpose was to identify areas of consensus, debate and innovation in order to inform a more consistent approach within dfid. Focus on control, compliance could squeeze smaller contractors.