MCC is committed to conducting independent impact evaluations of its programs as an integral part of its focus on results. These rigorous assessments of project impact often enhance the design of programs, provide critical information regarding the performance of specific activities, and contribute to a broader understanding of development effectiveness.

The Essence of the Impact Evaluation

An impact evaluation measures the changes in individual, household or community income and well-being that result from a particular project or program. The distinctive feature of an impact evaluation is the use of a counterfactual, which identifies what would have happened to the beneficiaries absent the program. This counterfactual is critical to understanding the improvements in people’s lives that are directly caused by the program.

Impact evaluation at MCC is part of a broader monitoring and evaluation (M&E) approach that covers all MCC-funded programs. Performance monitoring activities measure implementation progress and intermediate results, while impact evaluations are designed to measure the impact of projects on the wellbeing of beneficiaries.

Independent Assessments

MCC uses teams of independent professional researchers to carry out impact evaluations. These teams are selected in a competitive process that includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected impact evaluation specialists. MCC’s use of independent professionals is intended to ensure that the impact evaluations represent an unbiased assessment of the activities being studied.

How MCC Impact Evaluations Contribute to Development

MCC expects that the results of its impact evaluations will help guide future investment decisions. These impact evaluations further the work of the MCC and the development field, in general, in a number of ways:

• Impact evaluations help MCC decide whether to expand a particular type of program or avoid it in the future. Projects that have a large positive impact on beneficiaries can be expanded or become models for future MCC projects in similar settings.
• Impact evaluations help MCC economists enhance the precision of their future calculations of economic rates of return (ERRs).
• Impact evaluations contribute to the global academic discourse on what works in the development field. MCC will make the results of its impact evaluations publicly available to be used by other donors, researchers and non-governmental organizations.