Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- Abbreviations and Acronyms -- About the Authors -- Transformational Change for People and the Planet: Evaluating Environment and Development - Introduction -- Background -- State of Development Evaluation -- The Sustainability Context -- What It Means for Evaluation -- About This Book -- References -- Part I: Transformational Change -- Evaluation for Transformational Change: Learning from Practice -- Evaluation Must Respond to Global Signals to Be Relevant -- Redefinition in the COVID-19 Crisis: Evaluators Are Not Isolated from Changes -- Challenges to Evaluation as a Practice and Form of Transformation -- The Exploratory Nature of This Chapter -- Changes to the Evaluation-Transformation Relationships over Time -- The Crisis Context and Potential Loss of Judgement Proprietorship -- Judging Transformation, the Challenge of Relativism -- Context Ascribes Value and Meaning to the Concepts of Transformation -- Changes in Evaluation Production and Emphasis -- Case Studies on the Evaluation-Transformation Nexus -- South Africa National Department of Land Affairs and Public Service Commission -- The Independent Evaluation Office of the United Nations Development Program: Some Strategic Choices -- Learning from Both Managerial Roles -- Some Conclusions -- Challenge on the Exclusivity of Judgment -- Reflecting on Transformation Drivers -- The Enabling Environment for Transformation -- Political Will and Leadership Support -- The Post-Normal or COVID-19 Era -- References -- Transformational Change for Achieving Scale: Lessons for a Greener Recovery -- Introduction -- A Framework for Transformational Change and Achieving Scale -- Drivers of Change -- Clear Ambition in Design -- Addressing Market and System Reforms Through Policies -- Quality of Project Design and Implementation -- Mechanisms for Financial Sustainability.

Scaling-Up -- Factors Influencing Transformative Change and Scaling-Up -- Example 1: Transformative and Effectively Scaled Up: Lighting Africa - Market-Based Solutions for Energy Access -- Example 2: Review, Ownership, and Partnering: Payments for Ecosystem Services in the Danube Basin -- Adoption of the Intervention -- Sustained Support for Scaling-Up Processes -- Learning for Adaptability and Cost-Effectiveness -- Conclusions -- Appendix -- Projects Discussed in This Chapter -- References -- Part II: Drivers of Sustainability -- Introduction -- Reference -- Sustainability After Project Completion: Evidence from the GEF -- Introduction -- Understanding Sustainability -- Analytical Framework -- Data -- Methodology -- Screening and Review -- Assessment Approach -- Limitations -- Findings -- Sustainability During Postcompletion Period -- Broader Adoption and Sustainability -- Factors that Facilitate Sustainability -- Financial Support for Follow-Up -- Political Support -- Follow-Up by, and Capacities of, Executing Partner -- Stakeholder Buy-In -- Project Design -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Completed GEF-funded Projects with Postcompletion Evaluation -- References -- From the Big Picture to Detailed Observation: The Case of the GEF IEO's Strategic Country Cluster Evaluations -- Introduction -- Challenges and Opportunities in IEO Complex Evaluations -- The Strategic Country Cluster Evaluation Concept -- Applications of the SCCE Approach -- Methodological Considerations -- Geospatial Analysis Following Project Field Visits -- Lessons from the SCCE Experience -- References -- Staying Small and Beautiful: Enhancing Sustainability in the Small Island Developing States -- Introduction -- Environmental Challenges in SIDS -- GEF Interventions in SIDS -- Climate Resilience -- Integrated Resource Management Through Ridge to Reef -- Blue Economy -- Protected Areas.

Land Use Management -- Invasive Alien Species -- Chemicals and Waste -- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency -- Performance and Sustainability of GEF Projects in SIDS -- Sustainability -- Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Outcomes in SIDS -- Institutional Capacity, Environmental Awareness, and Economic Pressure -- GEF's Overall Additionality in SIDS -- Conclusions -- Appendix: Projects Discussed in Chap. 7 -- References -- Resources -- Assessing Sustainability in Development Interventions -- The Problem -- The Environment as a Closed System -- Catalyzing Capabilities to Ensure Sustainable Outcomes and Impacts -- Postprogram Evaluation -- Dairy Development Asset Transfer-Malawi -- Environmental Effects -- Discussion -- References -- Can We Assume Sustained Impact? Verifying the Sustainability of Climate Change Mitigation Results -- Measuring Impact and Sustainability -- How Are Sustainability and Impact Defined? -- The Limits of Terminal Evaluations -- Methodology -- Findings -- How Is Sustainability Being Captured? -- How Effectively Is Sustainability Being Captured? -- Project Evaluability -- Resources -- Local Ownership and Partnerships -- Capacity Building -- Emerging Sustainability -- Benchmarks, Risks, and Resilience -- Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Impacts) -- Uncertainty and Likelihood Estimates -- Conclusions and Recommendations -- Appendix -- Projects Discussed in Chapter -- References -- Part III: Evaluating Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation -- Introduction -- Using a Realist Framework to Overcome Evaluation Challenges in the Uncertain Landscape of Carbon Finance -- The Evaluation of the Carbon Market Finance Programme -- Overview of Methodology -- Realist Evaluation as an Approach -- Hypothesis Development -- Coding System -- Evidence Saturation -- Coding Results -- Realist Evaluation as a Framework.

Benefits of the Applied Approach -- Challenges of the Applied Approach -- Improving the Methodology -- Bottom-Up Formulation of ICMO Statements -- Increasing Traceability of Causality by Tailoring the Coding to the Mechanism -- Increasing Variability of Contextual Factors -- Summary of the Modified Methodology -- Conclusion -- References -- Evaluation's Role in Development Projects: Boosting Energy Efficiency in a Traditional Industry in Chad -- Introduction -- Project Background -- Evaluation Findings -- Project Performance -- Relevance -- Effectiveness -- Efficiency -- Sustainability -- Project Coordination and Management -- Gender Mainstreaming -- Cross-Cutting Issues -- Conclusions -- Value of Evaluation in Development Projects -- Appendix: Methodology -- Sampling Methods and Data Collection -- Desk Review -- Qualitative Methods -- Quantitative Methods -- Site Visits -- Data Analysis Methods and Reporting -- Appendix References -- References -- Enabling Systems Innovation in Climate Change Adaptation: Exploring the Role for MEL -- Introduction -- Study Purpose and Approach -- Complexity, Systems Innovation, and CCA -- CCA, Complex Systems, and Innovation: Evolution to the Present Day -- Systems Innovation-The CCA Future -- MEL's Role in Enabling Systems Innovation for CCA -- Seven Directions of Change for the CCA MEL Community -- Conclusion -- References -- Assessing the Evaluability of Adaptation-Focused Interventions: Lessons from the Adaptation Fund -- Introduction -- Background to Adaptation Fund -- History and Purpose of Evaluability Assessment -- Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation -- Study Objectives -- Assessment Approach -- Framework Development -- Process for Implementation -- Analysis -- Logic and Additionality of Adaptation Projects -- Relevance to Evaluability -- Adaptation-Specific Evaluability Considerations -- Findings.

Evidence Base and Baselines: Natural vs. Human Systems -- Relevance to Evaluability -- Adaptation-Specific Evaluability Considerations -- Findings -- Resources Allocated to MEL: Direct vs. Indirect -- Relevance to Evaluability -- Adaptation-Specific Evaluability Considerations -- Findings -- Potential for Postcompletion Evaluation -- Relevance to Evaluability -- Adaptation-Specific Evaluability Considerations -- Findings -- Reflections on the EA Tool Development and Implementation -- Conclusions -- References -- Evaluating Transformational Adaptation in Smallholder Farming: Insights from an Evidence Review -- Introduction -- Methodology -- Key Messages Emerging from the Evidence Synthesis -- Scaling Up Transformative Adaptation Pathways -- Transformative Knowledge Management -- Ecosystem-Based Adaptation and Landscape Approaches in Smallholder Farming -- Policy Shortcomings -- Implications for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning -- Future Role of Evidence Reviews in Programmatic Evaluation -- References -- Part IV: Evaluation Approaches -- Introduction -- Evaluation at the Endgame: Evaluating Sustainability and the SDGs by Moving Past Dominion and Institutional Capture -- Introduction -- Taking Stock on Evaluation Practice and Resources on Sustainability -- Dominion, Accountability, and Institutional Capture -- Dominion -- Accountability -- Institutional Capture -- Sustainability-Ready Evaluation -- How Can Evaluation Contribute to Checkmating Extinction? -- Recognizing Natural Systems as the Foundation for the Human System Means Adding the Natural System Perspective to All Evaluation Criteria -- Evaluation Standards Will Emphasize Achieving the Larger Goals Identified as Central to Checkmating Extinction.

Standards Need to Shift to Evaluating Against Collective Achievement of Sustainability Goals, and Away from Likely Contributions by Partitioned Organizations and Interventions.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2023. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.