What is the main focus of impact evaluation?

The main focus of impact evaluation is to assess the effect of a program or intervention on specific outcomes. This involves examining how the program influences certain changes in the target population or community, allowing evaluators to identify whether the intended goals and objectives are being met. By isolating the effects of the program from other factors, impact evaluation helps to determine the true effectiveness of the interventions, providing critical insights that can inform future decision-making and policy development.

These evaluations often utilize various methodologies, such as randomized control trials or quasi-experimental designs, to establish causal relationships between the intervention and observed outcomes. This focus on outcomes differentiates impact evaluation from other forms of assessment that may consider aspects like cost, stakeholder satisfaction, or the relationship between inputs and outputs, which are not the primary objective in impact evaluation.