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Acumen and the impact learning agenda | The Principled Agent

https://principledagent.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/how-can-acumen-head-for-impact

Thoughts on development economics and impact measurement. Acumen and the impact learning agenda. While progress has been made with outcome reporting standards, e.g., IRIS. Much work remains to establish impact measurement practices that will allow Acumen staff to credibly assess the effectiveness of different products and services. Once developed, these practices will support both greater internal learning and external understanding of Acumen’s social return on investment. Acumen’s already worked to help...

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Quantifying Gates Foundation’s Brand Equity | The Principled Agent

https://principledagent.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/quantifying-gates-foundations-brand-equity

Thoughts on development economics and impact measurement. Quantifying Gates Foundation’s Brand Equity. Leave a comment ». On individual giving (with a solicitation with no mention of a match as the counterfactual), as well as the impact of naming the Gates Foundation as the matching donor (with an anonymous grant match solicitation as the counterfactual). The former test was directed at prior donors while the latter at prospective donors. The offer was a $3:$1 match. The Gates brand is an asset with sign...

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What can “Pay for Success” learn from health care? | The Principled Agent

https://principledagent.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/what-can-pay-for-success-learn-from-health-care

Thoughts on development economics and impact measurement. What can Pay for Success learn from health care? Leave a comment ». Linking payment to performance on pre-defined outcomes makes a lot of sense. And in the social sector, where payment has historically been linked to simply providing services, it’s easy to understand the excitement for Social Impact Bonds and Pay for Success contracts. You get what you pay for, the thinking goes, and a shift from outputs to outcomes could be transformative. Yet no...

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Case study: Assessing the cost-effectiveness of Impact Investing | The Principled Agent

https://principledagent.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/case-study-assessing-the-cost-effectiveness-of-impact-investing

Thoughts on development economics and impact measurement. Case study: Assessing the cost-effectiveness of Impact Investing. The cost-effectiveness of impact investing is unclear due to both poor impact measurement and hidden costs. As I have addressed the former issue in the discussion note, Cost-effective Impact Investments for the Impact Investor. This note will explore the cost of impact investing, specifically the subsidy intrinsic in the investments. Grant funding for staff. If you wanted to identif...

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Catalyzing transparency in nonprofit sector | The Principled Agent

https://principledagent.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/catalyzing-transparency-in-nonprofit-sector

Thoughts on development economics and impact measurement. Catalyzing transparency in nonprofit sector. Leave a comment ». Like many, I believe that public transparency is critical to a well-functioning development system. What do I mean by public transparency? So how can we create a new normal? Most advocacy at this point aims to change minds, with the assumption that this will lead to a change in behavior. But what if we modified the behavior first? Donors know that unrestricted gifts respect the capabi...

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Cost-effective Impact Assessments for the Impact Investor | The Principled Agent

https://principledagent.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/cost-effective-impact-assessments-for-the-impact-investor

Thoughts on development economics and impact measurement. Cost-effective Impact Assessments for the Impact Investor. This long post is available as a PDF. To evaluate impact, the impact investor must make a comparison between what actually happened and what would have happened in the absence of the intervention. Randomized Controlled Trials and Impact Investing. In a recent presentation at DFID, Chris Blattman made two points on the proper role of RCTs particularly relevant to this topic: “Don&#821...

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The missing middle: cash transfers and microcredit | The Principled Agent

https://principledagent.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/the-missing-middle-cash-transfers-and-microcredit

Thoughts on development economics and impact measurement. The missing middle: cash transfers and microcredit. Leave a comment ». NOTE: By “return” I mean the amount of money returned to the NGO/MFI, ignoring all related costs. What might other points on this continuum look like? Principal only: After four to six months, the recipient pays back the principal. Partial repayment: After four to six months, recipient pays back some percentage of the principal. 1) Yes, it’s true that cash transfers are c...

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Institutions and the Decline of Venice | The Principled Agent

https://principledagent.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/institutions-and-the-decline-of-venice

Thoughts on development economics and impact measurement. Institutions and the Decline of Venice. It’s not clear why Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson (A&R) wrote a short chapter on Venice in their recent book, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty. Yet the chapter is short and quickly digested, and spurred a Times article. As told by A&R, the rise of Venice begins with a sea-trading bourgeoisie supporting the formation of inclusive political and economic institutions which, in ...

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Honey, I shrunk the Social Impact | The Principled Agent

https://principledagent.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/honey-i-shrunk-your-social-impact

Thoughts on development economics and impact measurement. Honey, I shrunk the Social Impact. Lee Crawfurd, who you may know has the best economics blog. Previously) in South Sudan, recently highlighted. A study that assessed the impact of a job placement program in France. The paper. Provides an excellent case study in how perceived impact can disappear, highlighting the importance of sound estimation of what would happen without an intervention, i.e., the counterfactual. A) Just track the outcomes!