Jake allen, christian aid i recently spoke at a halfday dfid seminar discussing a draft. For the aspen institute roundtable on community change, august 2004. Review report and practical resource isabel vogel, april 2012 uk. Creating theories of change with the theory of change online. This means the analystevaluator has to work on the ordering of the components of the theory. How to and how not to develop a theory of change to evaluate. The theory of change is based on the fundamental logic that a road can provide access to markets as well as allow for the provision of security, which in turn can lead to improved incomes and security for the population of north and south kivu. This document provides examples of theories of change of different types. It is evident that there are different understandings of what a theory of change approach is, how it can inform development thinking and practice, and what it can achieve. Kellogg foundation 65656565 developing a theory of change logic model for your program drawing a picture of why your program should succeed hether you are a grantseeker developing a proposal for startup funds or a grantee with a program already in operation, developing a logic model. Developing a theoryof change logic model for your program w. Who is using theory of change in international development.
Theory of change and evaluation planning your theory of change is a vital step before planning your evaluation. Dfid evaluation department has developed a checklist explaining these criteria. The theory of change is based on the fundamental logic that a road. A theory of change identifies the goals, preconditions, requirements, assumptions, interventions, and indicators of a program, providing important insight into and guidance on intervention and impact evaluation design. The process of developing a theory of change needs to include the following steps.
We constantly reach for new tools, but we keep alighting on small islands and losing the big picture. Theories of change fulfil a number of different purposes, including strategic planning, communication, accountability and learning. All a theory of change process does is to make these assumptions explicit and therefore more testable. What makes a good theory of change and what are the challenges when creating one. It is a practical model that allows you to articulate how you will achieve your aim, and what assumptions you are making. A theory of change can be developed for an intervention. Methodological steps to develop a theory of change in this section we will tackle the key methodological aspects needed to develop a theory of change. The theory of change online toco software was created by actknowledge as an accessible, easytouse learning tool for creating and implementing a theory of change. Developing a theory of change for your project what is a theory of change. Theories of change toc are vital to evaluation success for a number of reasons. A theory of change explains how activities are understood to produce a series of results that contribute to achieving the final intended impacts. Dfid have put together 10 examples of theories of change from their programs. Download pdf the hunger project 2011 these are examples of the theory of change developed by the hunger project for. Progress is reported to a fund manager, who manage the grant on behalf of dfid.
Theory of change a theory of change for a project or an organisation is a simple concept and something that most of us do in our own lives but rarely articulate it. May 14, 2012 theories of change is just the latest attempt to shine a light on what lies behind, what makes everything work or fail. A theory of change takes our assumptions about what we want or expect to happen and tests those assumptions to see if they hold true. Actknowledge is currently piloting theory of change online toco, a free, webbased application to create theories of change and to learn more about the methodology. Theory of change vs logical framework whats the difference. The process its a work in progress should be updated to reflect practical experience and new evidence refining it explains the changes you hope to bring about. However, once you start to plan your evaluation, practical considerations such as available data and tools may mean the outcomes on your theory of change arent exactly what youre going to be measuring in your evaluation. This workshop was an opportunity to reflect critically on an approach that has rapidly gained traction in international development circles, but remains under researched. Theories of change in international development overseas. Theory of change page 5 the education sector1 identified four different researchbased theories to inform the evaluation. Jun 18, 2015 introduction to theory of change research to action. Theories of change tocs describe how interventions can bring about longterm outcomes through a logical sequence of intermediate outcomes and have been used to design and measure the impact of public health programmes in several countries. The purpose was to identify areas of consensus, debate and innovation in order to inform a more consistent approach within dfid.
Before each example is a checklist to assess whether the theory of change includes an analysis of the context, a clear hypotheses of change, and an assessment of the evidence this is what dfid thinks they should include. The theory is that dfid can use its position as one of the largest donors to drc and its engagement in security, governance and development, as well as its programmes in other sectors, to leverage in godrc, service provider, ngo, donor and other dfid programmes to the areas around the project roads. Theory of change is actually a very simple concept. A theory of change describes how change is assumed to come about through. Developing a theory of change through a stakeholder workshop. The theory is usually laid out in a diagram showing the connections between interventions and outcomes the causal pathways or results chains. However, there are some core criteria which a theory of change should meet in order to optimise the usefulness of the product in communicating an overview of the intervention and the thinking behind it to an external audience. A theory of change lays out the series of causeandeffect changes that follow intervention activity. Steps for developing a theory of change beam exchange. Key advantages of using theory of change page 10 5. The report was commissioned by the dfid evaluation division and considers. Define how changing the market system will create these opportunities set out assumptions and contextual factors. The report was commissioned by the dfid evaluation division and considers the current uses and definitions of toc.
This theory of change on ending genderbased violence against women and girls consists of a diagram p. A theory of change see separate guidance sheet maps out multiple causal pathways explores what is implicit spelling out assumptions cites the evidence or lack of it relating to each causal link. Nevertheless, the nearest thing to a theory of change diagrammatic template. Andrea a anderson, theory of change as a tool for strategic planning. A new report on theory of change toc and its use in international development has just been produced. Throughout our work and personal lives we have aims, objectives and ideas about how to achieve our goals, but we rarely take the time to think these through, articulate and scrutinise them. A theory of change should effectively describe and explain the impact of the project from a beneficiarys point of view. Lewins threestage model of change2 focuses on the driving forces that facilitate or hinder change, and how those involved in the change agree that the change is necessary, collaborate towards the desired result and.
It can be developed for any level of intervention an event, a project, a programme, a policy, a strategy or an organization. Very flexible and allows complexity of arguments about change to be represented. Using theory of change in the development, implementation and. This phrase, purportedly coined by kurt lewin in the 1940s and later taken up inter alia by carol weiss and ray pawson resonates well with most evaluators and development practitioners nowadays. A new report on theory of change toc and its use in international development has just been produced by isabel vogel. By developing a theory of change based on good theory, managers can be better assured that their programmes are delivering the right activities for the desired outcomes. Jan 30, 2017 throughout, viewers will see real theory of change examples, hear from the executive directors that created them, and get tips on using theory of change for strategic planning, leadership. What is the difference between a theory of change, a results chain and the logframe. You will see there is no standard format, although they all include a diagram and narrative text. A theory of change is normally shown as a flow chart or diagram with accompanying text. The theory of change assumes that the state has primary responsibility for action on violence against women and girls. Analysis of the context does the theory of change make sense as a response to analysis of the context, the. The range of examples represents how different groups have approached their theory of change thinking. This template can be used to develop individual results chains for each of your intervention.
A theory of change is a detailed description of the mechanisms through which a change is expected to occur in a particular situation. This is a very recent example of a theory of change developed by fiver childrens foundation with actknowledge, which provide a key foundation for evaluation, communication, planning, organization and staff development. Frameworks are shown using a logframe matrix that is similar to this template. Isabel vogel for the uk department of international. Theory of change slide 2 meteorological, political and social a theory of change is a set of diagrams and complementary text that describe, in detail, how outputs from interventions interact with. A theory of change for tackling violence against women and girls. For example, an organisation may use theories of change as a way to communicate their goals to funders, but also to promote internal learning on programme strategy. A theory of change for tackling violence against women and. Using theories of change in international development. Lewins threestage model of change2 focuses on the driving forces that facilitate or hinder change, and how those. Fivepoint guide to a theory of change arts impact fund. Component c involves a separate knowledge manager, a consortium of seven. A theory of change is a diagram that explains how your project has an impact on young people. In recognition of their capacity to provide a framework for monitoring and evaluation, they are being increasingly employed in the development sector.
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