A new study by J. Puri, A. Aladysheva, V. Iversen, Y. Ghorpade and T. Brück has been published in Journal of Development Effectiveness under the title “Can rigorous impact evaluations improve humanitarian assistance?”. The article reflects on the challenges of rigorous impact evaluations of humanitarian assistance. The authors find that theory-based impact evaluations can crucially inform humanitarian programming. However, popular methods, such as orthodox RCTs, are seen as less suitable. The study explains that factorial designs and quasi-experimental designs can be ethical and robust, answering questions about how to improve the delivery of assistance. The authors argue that it helps to be prepared, planning impact evaluations before the onset of emergencies. The article can be accessed here.
