When designing evaluations, MCC and evaluators should be thoughtful about the exposure period. The exposure period should be identified based on the defined project objective and when MCC expects to see benefits for objective-level indicators, according to the cost-benefit analysis. The Rural Land Governance evaluation had an extended exposure period of 7-8 years, which was not defined during program design, but rather evolved due to a decision made after midline data collection that a longer exposure period should be used to allow sufficient time for long-term outcomes to emerge, and due to the timing of when the final evaluation firm was hired. While an extended exposure period facilitates a rich exploration of sustainability and can provide opportunities for learning on outcomes that may require a maximum amount of time to accrue, it creates challenges in terms of attribution and dilution of project impacts, given the number of additional interventions and potential changes or developments that have taken place in the targeted regions. MCC has addressed this lesson through the revised Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Policy, which requires the exposure period for the project objective be defined prior to the approval of the program’s first M&E Plan, which is typically due within 180 days of program entry into force.
Lesson Learned