Improving Development Evaluation
Claim This Podcastby David Wand
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Podcast Overview
<p>Join Dr. David Wand as he takes you on a provocative, investigative journey challenging Canadian & American international development organizations as well as international organizations to improve their performance measurement frameworks (PMFs) or Activity Monitoring and Evaluation (MEL) Plans. In Season 1, part 1 of the episode, Dr. Wand will introduce you to an international development organization and one of its projects where flaws in their PMF will be identified. In part 2 of the episode, the international development organization and evaluation experts will be invited to discuss Dr. Wand's critique and offer solutions to improving the evaluation of the project.</p><p>For Season 2, Dr. Wand expands the scope of his podcast to include USA government funded international development projects by acquiring Activity Monitoring Evaluation Learning Plans (MEL Plans) or their equivalent as well as continue acquiring Canada government funded international development projects that require PMFs or their equivalent. For Season 2 the focus of the podcast has also been improved whereby several projects from the same international development organization are covered in the same episode exposing how the international development organization fails to properly measure and evaluate whether its expected outcomes have been achieved. This is despite these organizations falsely claiming on their websites that they have achieved these outcomes at the expense of the taxpayer.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/7/2023
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Recent Episodes
June 24, 2026
GCERF post evaluation fails to show effectiveness in countering violent extremism in Nigeria
<p>In this episode, Dr. Wand explains how a poorly designed evaluation framework with invalid outcome indicators leads to a post-project evaluation that fails to demonstrate effectiveness in countering violent extremism in Nigeria. Dr. Wand reviews the evaluation report produced by the Global Community Engagement Resilience Fund (GCERF) available at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.gcerf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Nigeria-Results-Paper-Round-2-Funding-2019-21.pdf">https://www.gcerf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Nigeria-Results-Paper-Round-2-Funding-2019-21.pdf</a>. </p><p>Dr. Wand's review covers the following findings with detailed examples:</p><ol><li>Expected outcomes cannot be claimed to be achieved as GCERF claims as the outcome indicators depend on biased self-reporting rather than objective measures. Examples include GCERF claims of Community Action Response Teams being 'fully functionable' but with no objective measures of functionality.</li><li>GCERF claims of high levels of confidence by beneficiaries are questionable as methods of measuring these confidence levels are not provided.</li><li>Outcome indicators measuring skill acquisition for concrete skills such as the ability to mediate or manage conflicts or the ability to identify and report early warning signs of conflict are absent yet GCERF assumes without data that this skill acquisition occurred and that conflict mediation or management was successful.</li><li>GCERF makes 'impact' claims beyond the project despite no evidence such as reductions in violence and alcohol in specific communities.</li></ol><p>Recommendations to include data sources and methods of data collection and analysis are provided to enable GCERF to support their claims that currently cannot be supported as well as ensuring that outcome indicators actually measure the expected outcomes.</p><p>To receive discounts for the purchase of sunglasses or polo shirts or travel bags/backpacks/wallets designed for the Global South use the following link:</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://mydeals.page/1hjl">https://mydeals.page/1hjl</a></p><p>Donate here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZAQD8888DEDXL">https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZAQD8888DEDXL</a></p><p>Or at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://buymeacoffee.com/davidwand">buymeacoffee.com/davidwand </a>to help the podcast.</p>
June 19, 2026
Humber Polytechnic International Development Institute fails to properly evaluate its $2 Million Kenya & Ethiopia STEM Education for Empowerment project
<p>In this episode, Dr. Wand reviews the Humber Polytechnic International Development Institute (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://humber.ca/global/international-development-institute-idi">https://humber.ca/global/international-development-institute-idi</a>) $2 Million Kenya & Ethiopia STEM Education for Empowerment project's Performance Measurement Framework (PMF). He concludes that <strong>Humber Polytechnic International Development Institute cannot make the claim that it has achieved 8 of the 9 expected Outcomes for the project since 18 out of the 19 outcome indicators are not valid measures of the Outcomes</strong>, <strong>or for the 1 valid outcome indicator fail to show the necessary statistical analysis that would support the project's claim that the outcome was achieved statistically significantly rather than due to chance.</strong></p><p>Details about the project can be found here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/p007925001"><strong>https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/p007925001</strong></a></p><p>The PMF and Dr. Wand's critique are available by emailing evaluatecanadaaid@gmail.com.</p><p>The PMF and the critique will be shared with Humber Polytechnic along with an invitation for them to respond to the critique by attending a future podcast. It will also be shared with the Secretary of State for International Development as well as the shadow critics for all the opposition parties.</p><p>To receive discounts for the purchase of sunglasses or polo shirts or travel bags/backpacks/wallets designed for the Global South use the following link:</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://mydeals.page/1hjl">https://mydeals.page/1hjl</a></p><p>Donate here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZAQD8888DEDXL">https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZAQD8888DEDXL</a></p><p>Or at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://buymeacoffee.com/davidwand">buymeacoffee.com/davidwand </a>to help the podcast.</p>
June 1, 2026
GCERF fails to validly measure rehabilitation of Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters - Western Balkans
<p>The Global Community Engagement Resilience Fund (GCERF) (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://gcerf.org">gcerf.org</a>) has been funding organizations in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia to deliver psychological services to Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters to enable them to become first, rehabilitated, and then reintegrated into their communities. Unfortunately, GCERF has failed to provide any valid measures of rehabilitation for these foreign terrorist fighters despite making claims of achieving subsequent reintegration for these fighters as shown by the absence of any rehabilitation outcome indicators in their "Results from Round 1 and Round 2 Funding in the Western Balkans (2020-2025)" report.</p><p>In this episode, Dr. Wand recommends that GCERF draw upon 4 valid measures of rehabilitation specific to Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters, including the <strong>Violent Extremism Risk Assessment VERA </strong>and the <strong>TRAP-18 (Terrorist Radicalization Assessment Protocol) </strong>psychometric tools.</p><p>He also identifies flaws in statistical analysis such as aggregating outcome indicators across different projects within a country as well as aggregating outcome indicators across different countries that hinders GCERF's ability to use evaluation results to improve service delivery at the project level. He also notes the improper use of comparing averages of percent indicators rather than using medians that fails to recognize extreme percent values that can distort the overall percent indicator.</p><p>For receiving a discount on the products recommended when visiting the Global South, use the following link: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://mydeals.page/1hjl">https://mydeals.page/1hjl</a></p><p>Donate here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZAQD8888DEDXL">https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZAQD8888DEDXL</a></p><p>Or at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://buymeacoffee.com/davidwand">buymeacoffee.com/davidwand </a>to help the podcast.</p>
31 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Improving Development Evaluation?
<p>Join Dr. David Wand as he takes you on a provocative, investigative journey challenging Canadian & American international development organizations as well as international organizations to improve their performance measurement frameworks (PMFs) or Activity Monitoring and Evaluation (MEL) Plans. In Season 1, part 1 of the episode, Dr. Wand will introduce you to an international development organization and one of its projects where flaws in their PMF will be identified. In part 2 of the episode, the international development organization and evaluation experts will be invited to discuss Dr. Wand's critique and offer solutions to improving the evaluation of the project.</p><p>For Season 2, Dr. Wand expands the scope of his podcast to include USA government funded international development projects by acquiring Activity Monitoring Evaluation Learning Plans (MEL Plans) or their equivalent as well as continue acquiring Canada government funded international development projects that require PMFs or their equivalent. For Season 2 the focus of the podcast has also been improved whereby several projects from the same international development organization are covered in the same episode exposing how the international development organization fails to properly measure and evaluate whether its expected outcomes have been achieved. This is despite these organizations falsely claiming on their websites that they have achieved these outcomes at the expense of the taxpayer.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates bi-weekly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 9 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
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