Hello,

[possibly belongs under the evaluation thread but I've left it as a 'tool' for now]

Possibly one for those who have led evaluations of ABCD programs in the past - I'm interested in frameworks you may have used to capture changes from ABCD programs.

I have been working on an ABCD project in rural Malawi, they did an amazing job of citizen-led M&E throughout the project, and the mid-term and final review took a deeply participatory approach too. However, the findings in written reports tended to focus mainly on tangible outcomes (things easier to touch, feel, measure). Other aspects like changes in attitudes (psychological assets as described by some) were included in reporting, but less so.

Hence, I'm keen to know of any well-being or similar frameworks you have found useful to assess or reflect on change?

There are TONNNES of well-being frameworks out there, we used a slightly modified version of the "Well-being in development" framework from Well-being in Developing Countries Research. Their framework classifies well-being as deeply rooted in relationships, with relational, material and subjective perceptions of well-being co-existing and linking with each other. A summary of the dimensions of well-being they use are outlined below

---

1. Relational

a) social ie. social relations, collective action and access to public goods (relationship to the state)

b) human ie. capabilities, attitudes, personal relationships

2. Material. ie. $ earned, employment, livelihood activities etc

3. Subjective

ie. mediated by:

a) values, ideologies and beliefs

b) perceptions of material and relational well-being

---

We tweeked this to make it more aligned with the ABCD approach and reflective of change - we asked questions of citizens of their experience of  attitudinal, relational and tangible changes. Using this as a framework helped illicit a different (complementary) story than previous evaluations. I'd be happy to share findings once it's finalised/published.

Meanwhile, I'm interested in your experience in using anything similar (or different) either as a reflective tool for participants during the process of ABCD or in evaluations. I note Coady have a useful paper on this topic you can access via here.

updated by @ian-cunningham: 11/05/17 05:17:11PM

Hi Ian,

I undertook some complementary work in Indonesia, alongside Alison from Coady, with the Islamic universities over a couple of years... I have Alison's M&E final report that I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing (she's now retired), if you would like a copy?

Also, I have added your conversation to the ABCD in Action Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/429625007423984/

Regards,

Dee...

I was going to suggest the one by Brianne Peters and co, but see you linked to it already.

Here's a couple of resources that might be of help. (The first isn't available on the net for free, so if you have trouble getting it contact me.)

Ennis, G., & West, D. (2010). Exploring the potential of social network analysis in asset-based community development practice and research. Australian Social Work, 63(4), 404 - 417.

Potter, R. (2015). An impact assessment of the Great Yarmouth family connectors project. Cambridge: AnalyticsCambridge. Available from http://www.analyticscambridge.co.uk/FamilyConnectors.php

Nor sure they are really what you are looking for but they might help.

I've also created a list of over 100 resources on ABCD that might be of interest available from https://sustainingcommunity.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/abcd-reading-list/

Good luck with it

Graeme

Thanks for the responses so far

@dee-brooks I've dropped you an email.

@graeme-stuart thanks for the links. I have read Ennis and West, it's great (and useful). I'll take a look at the other one too and scan your reading list.

updated by @ian-cunningham: 11/05/17 05:22:06PM

Hey Dee - if you think it's ok with Alison, can you post that final report here as well?  Thanks!

Deb

Ian, I'm involved, along with several other ABCD Faculty as an "ABCD Eval Team" with a project that works with museums and libraries. We're using Developmental Evaluation as the core of our work. I'm finding it very compatible with an ABCD perspective. There are lots of resources online about DE... Here's one resource that you might want to check out if you are unfamiliar with DE.

http://www.betterevaluation.org/en/plan/approach/developmental_evaluation

Deb

[quote="Graeme Stuart"]

I was going to suggest the one by Brianne Peters and co, but see you linked to it already.

Here's a couple of resources that might be of help. (The first isn't available on the net for free, so if you have trouble getting it contact me.)

Ennis, G., & West, D. (2010). Exploring the potential of social network analysis in asset-based community development practice and research. Australian Social Work, 63(4), 404 - 417.

Potter, R. (2015). An impact assessment of the Great Yarmouth family connectors project. Cambridge: AnalyticsCambridge. Available from http://www.analyticscambridge.co.uk/FamilyConnectors.php

Nor sure they are really what you are looking for but they might help.

I've also created a list of over 100 resources on ABCD that might be of interest available from https://sustainingcommunity.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/abcd-reading-list/

Good luck with it

Graeme

[/quote]

Thanks, Graeme for sharing these!

Deb