The Road to Results: Designing and Conducting Effective Development Evaluations (World Bank Training Series)
"Programs aimed at the betterment of human welfare in the zones of turmoil and transition of the developing world face unprecedented challenges. This is why Ray Rist and Linda Morra's book is so important and timely. Nurtured by exceptional knowledge and experience, it captures in a convenient format the essentials of good evaluation practice in the field of development. Given its authoritative and up-to-date treatment of the real-life evaluation problems created by the complex and volatile operating environment for development, it belongs on the bookshelf of all evaluation and development professionals." --Robert Picciotto, former Director General, Evaluation, World Bank Group; Visiting Professor, King's College, London"This book exemplifies everything I look for in an evaluation text: Well-tested material, carefully evaluated, proven in practice. Credible because done by people who know what they are talking about through experience and expertise. Content that teaches and exemplifies the profession's standards, and so is useful, practical, ethical, and accurate. Makes evaluation understandable, accessible, and doable. Communicates the importance and value of monitoring and evaluation. A good mix of theory and practice, methodologically solid, illustrated with relevant and understandable examples. Substance that is real-world and realistic, that is, grounded in the political, economic, cultural, and management realities of development. Narrative that both teaches and inspires. Those are the things I look for in a book and this book delivers on every criterion." --Michael Q. Patton, former President of the American Evaluation Association; author of 'Utilization-Focused Evaluation, and Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods'; independent evaluation and organizational development consultant"Development evaluation is rapidly growing in developing countries. The book's structure and approach make it useful to a cross-section of users such as evaluation specialists and practitioners, policy makers, parliamentarians, public sector officials, and students of development evaluation. This book will make a significant contribution to development evaluation in the developing world." --Kabir Hashim, Member of Parliament, Sri Lanka; former Minister of Tertiary Education and Training; development evaluation consultant