IEG Evaluation Methods Advisory Function

IEGMA’s Role

IEG’s Methods Advisory function was established in 2016 to help deepen the quality and credibility of IEG’s evaluation work. Since then the team has focused its work in four areas: (1) Advising IEG evaluation teams on developing and implementing the most appropriate evaluation design to address specific evaluation questions; (2) Researching cutting-edge evaluation methodologies and experimenting with data science and AI in the practice of evaluation; and (3) Supporting the development of evaluation skills among IEG staff and the broader evaluation community via training and knowledge-sharing.

ECD & Knowledge-Sharing at a Glance

Internally, the Methods team designs, coordinates, and delivers, in collaboration with the IEG Academy, IEG’s flagship evaluation capacity-development curriculum, the Foundations of Evaluation Design (FoED). FoED was developed as a two-year curriculum, covering key methodological principles, methods and use of data that underpin the design and implementation of IEG evaluations. The curriculum is also the basis for the development of e-learning modules, a common core training for Evaluation Cooperation Group Members.

Externally, you can find the Methods team engaging with the broader evaluation community at a range of evaluation conferences and professional workshops, as well as providing specialized training at the International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET), hosted by The University of Bern, in partnership with the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI).

The Team

Methods Paper Series

The IEG Methods Paper Series is a working paper series sponsored and managed by WBG’s Independent Evaluation Group Methods Advisory Function (IEGMA) in collaboration with IEG evaluators, as well as evaluation experts outside of the WBG.

The series features innovative applications of qualitative, quantitative, and multi-method research from recent IEG evaluations, illustrating and reflecting on the novel application of data science techniques, generative AI, and social science methods to address evaluation questions.

Intended for evaluators within independent evaluation functions in international development, as well as practitioners and stakeholders in relevant disciplines, the IEG Methods Paper Series seeks to bridge emerging methodological advancements with applied evaluation practice.