International Alumni Conference "Evaluation of Development Interventions - Current Debates, Methods, and Best Practices"

The Institute of Development Research and Development Policy (IEE; Ruhr-University Bochum) is organising an international alumni conference titled “Evaluation of Development Interventions – Current Debates, Methods, and Best Practices” in Bochum (Germany) on the 4th-9th November of 2019. The conference is a collaboration between the MA programme in Development  Management (MADM; IEE), the MA programme in International and Development Economics (MIDE; HTW Berlin), the Small Enterprise Promotion and Training Programme (SEPT; University of Leipzig), the MA programme in Development and Governance (Institute of Political Science (IfP); University of Duisburg-Essen), and the MA programme in International Relations and Development Policy (Institute for Development and Peace (INEF); University of Duisburg-Essen).

This conference is devoted to reflect how well typical evaluation practices yield the desired insights in the actual outcomes and impact of a development intervention. As such, it addresses questions such as: which evaluation designs are in principle appropriate for the assessment of a development intervention? Which factors are relevant for choosing the design? What different methods are applied in practice for assessing a project’s relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness? How should we measure the impact and sustainability of an intervention, and how can appropriate steps be put in practice? These questions will be discussed with international experts, alumni of the abovementioned Master programmes working related to this field, researchers, PhD candidates, and other practitioners. As such, the conference offers a wide range of network opportunities between experts, practitioners, and scientists.

The conference ends with a “Networking & Career Day”, offering room for networking with other alumni and current students of the master programmes.

The conference is financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds of the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German
Foreign Office (AA).