From projects to systems: Being explicit about assumptions in systems-level theories of change

Shyamashree Das and Kultar Singh

Evaluation and Program Planning, 2023, vol. 97, issue C

Abstract: Projects and programs have long been the primary instrument for achieving development goals in low- and middle-income countries. One criticism of the project-focused approach is its failure to focus on broader system-level changes. This paper explores how Mayne's COM-B Theory of Change model can enhance the evaluation of how projects and system-level investments can lead to system-level changes, especially in a development context. Using a real-world example, we offer several evaluation questions to initiate thinking about what might be needed to extend the ideas in the COM-B theory of change to facilitate better interrogation of systems-level change efforts.

Keywords: Absorptive Capacity; Theory of Change; Interrogating Assumptions; The Capability; Opportunity; Motivation; Behaviour (COM-B) model; Navigating Programs and Systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:epplan:v:97:y:2023:i:c:s014971892300040x

DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2023.102263

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