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Evaluation of Media Development Project

Olufela O. Adeyemi

UNDP (2018), 77 pp.

"There is a noticeable improvement in professional media practice in Sierra Leone since the project started. However, more work remains to be done to further improve professional media practice and ethics. The regulatory environment needs to be improved and the role of the Independent Media Commissi ... more

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'No News is Bad News' Programme: Internal Mid-Term Evaluation Democratic Republic of Congo

Free Press Unlimited (2018), 30 pp.

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No News is Bad News Programme: Mid-Term Evaluation

Free Press Unlimited (2018), 17 pp.

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Evaluating the impact of information campaigns in the field of migration: A systematic review of the evidence, and practical guidance

Jasper Tjaden, Sandra Morgenstern, Frank Laczko

Geneva: International Organization for Migration (IOM); Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) (2018), 50 pp.

"Information campaigns designed to raise awareness of the potential risks of (irregular) migration have attracted much attention and investment across the world in recent years. Studies have repeatedly shown that many migrants start their journeys with limited or biased information and end up in vul ... nerable situations. In response, information campaigns have increased in number and the type, format, messages and strategy of such campaigns have diversified. This report presents the results from a systematic literature review of evaluations of such information campaigns in the field of migration. The study reveals that the evidence base available for programming and policymaking in this area is strikingly limited. We find that the uptake in the use of information campaigns has far outpaced any rigorous assessment of the effects that different campaigns may have on their respective target groups. In the absence of reliable evidence, the debate on the potential of this policy tool often relies on largely anecdotal evidence. Better evidence can show how information campaigns can be designed to best achieve their intended effects given the particular circumstances. The current lack of evidence limits the impact of future campaigns. While rigorous assessment of campaign impact can be difficult and costly, better evidence is clearly needed – wherever feasible and appropriate. Based on an extensive, systematic literature review, 60 relevant evaluations of information campaigns that targeted potential migrants and traffickers, as well as communities at large, were identified from a pool of 3,600 records. Only 30 of the selected campaign evaluations had publicly available results; the rest were collected through expert referrals. Two studies were published in peer-reviewed journals. Among the campaigns featured in the 60 studies, the most popular communication tools were workshop-type activities and cable TV programmes/advertisements. Most campaigns focused on trafficking, followed by irregular migration and, more generally, smuggling. A common issue is the lack of a clearly defined campaign objective and/or target group. This hampers any rigorous evaluation of programme effects. Whenever an objective is defined, it is most often aimed at “awareness-raising” and “knowledge generation.” The majority of the campaign evaluations claimed that the campaign under study was “successful” in inducing a change in knowledge, perceptions, attitudes and – to a lesser degree – (intended) behaviour. However, most of the evaluations reviewed provided relatively little evidence of the full impact of information campaigns. While many of the evaluations reported the number and profiles of campaign recipients or beneficiaries, impact was not directly measured. (In the evaluation literature, impact is defined as a change in outcome that is directly attributable to the programme and not any other factor.) Most of the evaluations identified did not meet minimum standards for robust evidence on programme effects. The large majority of evaluations were based on based on cross-sectional surveys of small numbers of participants (N) sampled at convenience, limiting the generalizability of the results. Only a few large-N studies employed a control-group design or involved pre- and post-measurements. None employed a (quasi-)experimental method for causal inference (e.g. randomized controlled trial, which is considered the “gold standard” for measuring impact)." (Executive summary) more

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Who Debates, Who Wins? At-Scale Experimental Evidence on Debate Participation in a Liberian Election

Jeremy Bowles, Horacio Larreguy

[no publisher] (2018), 45, 24 pp.

"In this paper we assess the electoral consequences of candidate selection into the supply of widely-disseminated programmatic information in the setting of Liberia, where clientelism is pervasive and the media sector is weak. We partnered with USAID and the NGO Internews to study the impact of rand ... omized elements of a nationwide initiative to hold debates for all 73 House of Representatives seats ahead of the Liberian election of October 2017. Beyond lawmaking, House members in Liberia control access to development funds as well as play key roles in the allocation and implementation of public goods, and thus voters have incentives to care about the policy priorities of the candidates and vote accordingly. However, historically, votes have been bought as often as won (Bowles et al., 2017). In an effort to improve democratic accountability, Internews organized 129 standardized debates, with at least one in each electoral district, to solicit the policy promises of the participating candidates. In the debates, the 59% of candidates who participated were asked a series of questions by moderating journalists on particular issues of local policy relevance, most often relating to district schools, primary healthcare facilities, and infrastructural investments. Rather than large townhall-style debates, the emphasis was on soliciting concrete policy platforms and promises from the candidates that would then be rebroadcast by community radio stations. To shock the supply of policy promises, we randomly varied the intensity of invitation efforts to persuade candidates to participate in the debates. The decision to participate is risky, particularly in clientelistic settings where the returns to programmatic competition can be both limited and highly uncertain. Candidates who ‘win’ a debate may enjoy greater publicity and net electoral gains, but ex ante they risk performing poorly, revealing their policy priorities to be disconnected from their constituents and restricting their ability to target campaign promises to small groups of influential voters. These risks are especially pronounced for the leading candidates (incumbents and their challengers), who enjoy greater resources for campaigning, are adapted to the existing clientelistic equilibrium, and are more likely to be attacked by opponents to gain publicity." (Pages 2-3) more

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How Has Media Programming Supported Polio Eradication?

Sanjib Saha

London: BBC Media Action (2018), 11 pp.

"Since 2013, BBC Media Action has been working closely with Unicef to support polio eradication. Through mass media programming – radio magazine shows and drama, and radio and TV public service announcements (PSAs) – it has sought to break down barriers to immunising against polio and other chil ... more

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Silence Begets Violence: A Mass Media Experiment to Prevent Violence Against Women in Rural Uganda?

Donald P. Green, Anna Wilke, Jasper Cooper

New York: Columbia University (2018), 42 + 69 pp.

"Preventing violence against women (VAW) requires witnesses to come forward, yet willingness to report is often undermined by social sanctions against those suspected of fabricating allegations. Our theory of the micro-politics of information disclosure in interdependent communities elucidates the r ... more

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Preparing the Ground for Better Dialogue, Better Information, Better Action: Lessons on Communicating with Communities in Emergencies
Deep Insights

Chris Ford, Soraya Khajehpour

CDAC Network; World Vision International (2018), 31 pp.

"What we’ve learnt about communicating effectively with disaster affected communities: 1. To deliver actionable, life-saving information, emergency responders should strive to agree on common messages developed in partnership with communities and tackle the spread of rumours. 2. It is important to ... more

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Report on the Evaluation of the Level of Knowledge and Skills Acquired Under the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) Transparency and Accountability Project

African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) (2018), 29 pp.

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What Role Can Drama Play in Conflict? A Radio Drama for Syria: Qualitative Research Findings

Sally Gowland

London: BBC Media Action (2018), 5 pp.

"Against the backdrop of the war in Syria BBC Media Action produced and broadcast 150 episodes of the radio drama Hay el Matar (Airport District) between 2015 and 2017. Funded by the European Commission as part of a broader project aiming to help build an open and inclusive society in Syria, the dra ... more

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Digital Platforms for Agro-Advisory and Business Service Delivery: Lessons from Scaling-up of AgroTech in Ghana

Cecil Osei, Alfred Yeboah, Francis Arthur, Emmanuel Agbedanu, Sybil Chidiac

Grameen Foundation; Farmradio International (2018), 15 pp.

"Grameen Foundation, Farm Radio International and other partners implemented the project “Achieving Impact at Scale” from 2015 to 2018 18. The objective of the project is to test the scale up of AgroTech, an ICT platform, in the delivery of agricultural extension and agribusiness advisory servic ... more

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Evaluation of Media Support in Somalia 2014–2017

Nora Stenius

Helsinki: Vikes Finnish Foundation for Media and Development (2018), 26 pp.

"The main partners of the project have been Somali National Television (SNTV), Somali Ministry of Information and Public Awareness, and the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ). After expanding the geographical coverage of the project in 2015, partnerships were also established with Somalila ... nd Journalists Association (SOLJA) and Media Association of Puntland (MAP). Several women journalist associations have likewise participated in the project implementation. This evaluation covers the first phase of the project (2014–2016), including observations from cost-extended first phase trainings arranged in May 2017. The aim of the evaluation is to provide sufficient information about the performance of the project, to identify possible obstacles hindering the expected outcomes, and to provide recommendations for future. Based on the key findings, the project has been relevant, highly effective and efficient. The project has responded to a well-articulated need: the professional capacity of Somali journalists is still relatively low, as is their general understanding of media ethics. The project is relevant and aligns well with national priorities. The project activities have been carried out through collaboration of Finnish specialists and Somali stakeholders in such a way that the project ownership remains in Somalia. The project has been highly effective. As a result of the project, the first multi-camera TV studio in Somalia was constructed with modern news production and editing system. The studio enabled first ever live broadcasting of news in Somalia. The quality of SNTV news production has also visibly improved. Video and sound quality is more professional, news inserts are shorter, more compact and cover a wider range of topics. More investigative programmes and children and youth programmes have also emerged. Close to 400 journalists from across Somalia and Somaliland have taken part in training courses on basic journalism skills and journalism ethics, by far exceeding the project’s initial goal. Furthermore, around 120 representatives from the police, judiciary and key ministries have received training on freedom of expression and respect for media rights. The approach has been ground-breaking by bringing together journalists and security officials and improving their respect for one another. General findings on the cost-effectiveness and efficiency showcase that Vikes has been spending much less than other international media support organizations to provide quality trainings with noticeable results. Yet, as anticipated, the challenging operational environment has also hampered the project implementation. Some activities have been postponed either due to the volatile security situation or logistic delays. Lack of spare parts and technical equipment in Somalia has also hindered the maintenance of the news production studio and affected some of the in-house trainings." (Executive summary, page 3-4) more

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Search for Common Ground’s ‘Strengthening the Capacity of Civil Society to Contribute to Sustainable Governance in Liberia’: Final Evaluation Report

Heather Gilberds, Katherina Thomas

Search for Common Ground (2017), 58 pp.

"Overall, the program set out what it achieved to do—namely to strengthen the institutional capacity of civil society organizations to improve their credibility, visibility, effectiveness and sustainability. There is evidence that many partner CSOshave refined theirmission, developed a multi-year ... strategic plan, a communications plan, a gender policy and an HR policy. In addition, they are beginning to integrate new financial reporting and M&E structures. All of the partner CSOs have improved their sustainability byreceiving additional funds to continue their work, and many of them hav developed strategies to diversify their revenue generation, such as expanding their offices to rent out board rooms. A number of organizations are eager to pass their new knowledge onto others, with many training peer CSOs on what they learned through the Search program. Finally, the program was effective in improving their own confidence, with all of the partner CSOs expressing their appreciation of the program, and in particular the freedom they had to define their own priorities and objectives.A number of lessons emerged during the course of implementation that are relevant for Search’s future work in civil society strengthening, as well as for other organizations working in this sector: 1. The participatory benchmarking approach is useful to help organizations track improvments in their organziational capacity over time. However, there was a tendency for CSOs to overstate what was possible within a limited timeframe. As a result, benchmarks were not consistently met, and many of the capacity-related development were not fully institutionalized by the project end. 2. The integration of radio programs with other civil society organizing approaches—town hall meetings, workshops, and house to house outreach—is an effective way to improve awareness and engagement of citizens in governance reform issues on a mass scale. 3. Programs to improve the capacity and sustainability of CSOs, and to professionalize the sector, are crucial but often overlooked, in efforts to improve local governance in fragile and trasitional countries such as Liberia. 4. There is a need to continue efforts to link civil society actors together for cohesive action and to further improve the enabling environment for civil society in Liberia by providing opportunities for CSOs to develop strategic collaborations, improve organizational capacity development, and attract donor funds to support their work." (Conclusions) more

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Strengthening Accountability Through Media in Nigeria: Final Evaluation

Michael Adebisi, Foluke Fadare et al.

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 47 pp.

"In a highly competitive media landscape, BBC Media Action’s governance programmes reached 52.8 million people in 2014 (and an estimated 64.6 million cumulatively), representing more than half the adult population of the country. One reason for this success was the brokering of radio partnerships ... more

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Inclusive Rural Communication Services: Building Evidence, Informing Policy
Deep Insights

Rome: FAO; University of Queensland (2017), viii, 90 pp.

"This publication is the first scoping study aimed at compiling existing evaluation cases in the field of Communication for Development as applied to agricultural and rural development initiatives. It draws on a literature review and 19 cases across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribb ... more

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Strengthening Accountability Through Media in Kenya: Final Evaluation

Catharine Buckell, Sopie Baskett

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 59 pp.

"Funded by DFID, under the Global Grant project, BBC Media Action produced three seasons of the weekly TV and radio programme Sema Kenya (Kenya Speaks). Sema Kenya featured a moderated discussion between a live panel of officials and an audience of ‘ordinary’ Kenyans and was designed to enable i ... ndividuals, communities and governments to be better informed and more engaged in tackling governance challenges. Alongside this, BBC Media Action delivered a mentoring programme, initially with six local radio stations, and later with the national broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), which has the largest footprint in the country. Through this work, BBC Media Action aimed to strengthen the capacity of Kenya’s media sector to produce governance programming that supported and mainstreamed the overall objectives of the project at both the local and national level. [...] Sema Kenya contributed to people being more informed about and engaged in politics. Audiences were more knowledgeable about politics, discussed it more with friends and family, felt more confident in their ability to influence political processes and participated more in governance related activities (particularly at the community level) – all factors that support bottom-up accountability. Audiences themselves linked Sema Kenya with these outcomes. This finding was validated by analysis confirming a significant positive relationship between watching or listening to Sema Kenya and consistently higher knowledge, discussion and confidence to engage in politics, even when taking into account other factors that might influence these outcomes (such as education, age and interest in politics). While Sema Kenya’s audience was more likely to participate in politics, qualitative research respondents rarely attributed their actions directly to what they had heard on Sema Kenya. This reflects findings from advanced quantitative analysis (structural equation modelling) that suggests the link between Sema Kenya and increased political participation is indirect and mediated by political knowledge, discussion and self-efficacy. Supported by an extensive network of broadcast partners that stretched across all 47 counties in Kenya, the discussion programme reached an estimated 12.7 million people over three seasons, with a peak audience of 5.7 million in 2013 – the year of the general election. The show also maintained a loyal audience throughout all three seasons, with around half of all those reached annually tuning in for at least every second episode." (Executive summary, pages 6-7) more

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Journalists and Safety Training: Experiences and Opinions

Autumn Slaughter, Bradley Brummel, Susan Drevo, Elana Newman et al.

Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma; University of Tulsa, Trauma Research Lab (2017), 57 pp.

"The report, based on answers from 247 respondents, summarises the ‘good news’, that journalists do implement changes in their behaviour when they have attended safety trainings, and the gaps and challenges, including the fact that few journalists keep their training up to date in spite of indus ... more

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Ensemble, les femmes journalistes du Mali renforcent la paix !

Search for Common Ground (2017), 36 pp.

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Combined Final Evaluation for ‘I Love my Country’: Strategic Communications for Peace Building in South Sudan” & Baseline Evaluation for ‘I Love my Country’: Promoting Localized Understanding and Peaceful Coexistence in South Sudan

Search for Common Ground; Forcier Consulting (2017), 83 pp.

"The present report provides the findings of a combined baseline evaluation of “‘I Love My Country:’ Promoting Localized Understanding and Peaceful Coexistence in South Sudan” (PLUPC) funded by the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (PSOPS) of the Canadian government, and endline eva ... luation of the project, “‘I Love My Country’: Strategic Communications for Peace Building in South Sudan” (SCPB) funded by the European Union (EU). The goal of the “‘I Love My Country:’ Promoting Localized Understanding and Peaceful Coexistence in South Sudan” project is to build greater understanding and application of key concepts embodied within the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) through key stakeholder meetings, participatory theater performances, civil society engagement, small-scale peace initiatives, short media productions, and radio drama production and broadcast. The project began on December 15, 2016 is expected to end on June 15, 2018. The purpose of the “‘I Love My Country’: Strategic Communications for Peace Building in South Sudan” project is “to promote social cohesion, resilience, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts among individuals and communities in South Sudan” by strengthening national platforms for diverse and constructive and promoting peace, tolerance, and reconciliation with key groups and individuals. Search for Common Ground, iHub, UNESCO, and Catholic Radio Network launched the project in November 1, 2014 and it was concluded on March 1, 2017. The objectives of the baseline evaluation for PLUPC are to update the analysis of local conflict dynamics in the targeted zones for outreach activities, collect baseline data for project indicators, to reflect upon the Objectives and Theory of Change (TOC) of the project, and to evaluate potential risks to project participants, implementing staff, and partners. The final evaluation for SCPB seeks to measure changes in key indicators after the implementation of activities, evaluate the project using OECD-DAC criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability), and provide lessons learned and recommendations to inform future peace building activities in the country." (Executive summary) more

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Storytelling and Evidence-Based Policy: Lessons from the Grey Literature

Brett Davidson

Palgrave Communications, volume 3, issue 17093 (2017), 10 pp.

"The article outlines some of the ways in which an understanding of policymaker psychology and factors such as group dynamics and political context are reflected in the grey literature, and the implications of this for understanding the role of storytelling in political advocacy. It highlights pract ... more

Preparing the Ground for Better Dialogue, Better Information, Better Action: Lessons on Communicating with Communities in Emergencies Deep Insights

Inclusive Rural Communication Services: Building Evidence, Informing Policy Deep Insights

Preparing the Ground for Better Dialogue, Better Information, Better Action: Lessons on Communicating with Communities in Emergencies
Deep Insights

Inclusive Rural Communication Services: Building Evidence, Informing Policy
Deep Insights