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The Center for Evaluation and Development is a non-profit organization and registered charity that provides evidence on what works, for whom, when, why and under which circumstances in the development sector. It conducts excellent, rigorous and independent research that meets the highest standards of quantitative and qualitative analysis, and collaborates with renowned partners like UNICEF, ILO, the World Bank, KfW and GIZ. It is an Associate Member of the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) and regularly partners with J-PAL Europe in training and research.

Based in Germany, the Center runs numerous large-scale, randomized control trials as well as quasi-experimental policy evaluation studies in more than 40 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Headed by Prof. Dr. Markus Frölich, the Center is supported by a team and network of experienced researchers who bring a broad range of expertise from education, health, and labor markets, to microfinance, insurance and rural development, to name a few.

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C4ED AWARDED MULTI-COUNTRY EUTF IMPACT EVALUATION RESEARCH IN THE SAHEL AND LAKE CHAD (SLC) AND HORN OF AFRICA (HOA) REGIONS

“CLIP Graduation Ceremony” by UNAMID Photo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

C4ED has been awarded a four year-contract with the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa. Tackling the nexus between employment and migration, the EUTF supports research and projects to ultimately improve the regional stability by creating more economic opportunities.

Starting from January 2021, C4ED will run a series of counterfactual impact evaluations (CIE) of ongoing economic development projects in Africa, including randomized control trials (RCT) and quasi-experimental methods. Specifically, nine individual CIEs will be conducted on economic and employment opportunities, resilience, and migration projects in Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uganda. Moreover, we will provide an evidence-based portfolio evaluation of 43 other projects in the region using mixed methods. This will provide the European Commission, the implementing partners and the wider public with:

an increased knowledge, data, and understanding of the outcomes and impacts of EUTF for Africa funded programs focusing on employment, employability, and/or migration in the Sahel and Lake Chad (SLC), the Horn of Africa (HoA), by generating evidence and evidence–based research
key lessons learned, conclusions, and related recommendations on the effectiveness and impact of EUTF programs, generating learning within the European Commission, its implementing partners, local partners, and the development community at large in order to inform future economic development and employment programming and policy support in the SLC, the HoA, and beyond

As part of most EUTF programs’ rationale, the Economic Projects’ Impact Evaluation Research strategic objective 1 ‘greater economic and employment opportunities’ is to address both the labor demand and the labor offer side and bridge the gap between the two at the local level. Indeed, the aim is to (i) establish inclusive economic development programs addressing youths and vulnerable groups’ employability through increasing their social, cognitive, and professional skills as well as their financial education, and (ii) strengthen the demand side enhancing effective job creation with existing businesses and support self-employment. This includes supporting existing and new MSMEs, integrating local and regional value chains and accessing markets; as well as improving local business enabling environment and financial inclusion to boost self-employment, in particular for the youths and most vulnerable groups.

Latest Accreditation

Since our founding in 2015, we aim to provide the highest quality research in the international development field. C4ED has been officially registered as a research institute by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). Getting this recognition from the German Ministry encourages us to keep improving the lives of people around this world through our research and contributions to make development interventions more effective. It shows us that the rigorous research conducted by C4ED and its staff provides an important contribution to global development.

Founder

Prof. Dr. Markus Frölich

Prof. Dr. Markus Frölich is full professor of Econometrics (Chair of Econometrics) at the University of Mannheim in Germany, as well as a permanent guest professor at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. He obtained his Ph.D. in economics in 2002 from the University of St. Gallen, after which he was granted a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship at the University College London. From 2008 to 2011, he was director of the research program »Employment and Development« at the World Bank and the Institute for the Study of Labor. He is further affiliated with J-PAL, the Swiss Institute for Empirical Economic Research (SEW, St. Gallen), the Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation (IFAU, Uppsala), the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW, Mannheim), the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA, Bonn) and the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER, Essex).

Our Team

Neutral and objective impact evaluations are indispensable for addressing poverty and underdevelopment. Effective, impact-oriented development programs build upon a continuous learning process. Innovative ideas are to be first tested through pilot and demonstration projects and evaluated under strict scientific standards before being scaled up. Improving quality and rigor standards of evaluations of development projects is of central importance to C4ED.

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Testimonials

Prof. Dr. Leonard Wantchekon, Founder of the African School of Economics (ASE) in Benin, Professor of Politics and Affiliate of the Economics Department at Princeton University

Impact evaluations based on rigorous econometric methodologies are of crucial importance for policy design and poverty alleviation in developing countries. At the African School of Economics, we cooperate with C4ED and Professor Frölich in helping making development interventions more effective. I wish C4ED the best of luck and success on their way to further contributing to greater social impact.

Mr. Tahir Waqar, Senior Program Manager – Head of Monitoring Evaluation and Research, National Rural Support Programme, Pakistan

NRSP has been partnering with Prof. Frölich and his team on a number of large projects since 2010, testing and assessing the impact of several innovations in micro-finance, health insurance and community mobilization. Our fruitful cooperation resulted in high-quality evaluations and analyses, which proved an extremely helpful source of organizational learning and decision-making to NRSP.

Dr. Cecilia D. del Castillo, Executive Director – Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation

Professor Frölich and his research associates have been successfully collaborating with us since many years now, helping us to provide sustainable financial and client-responsive developmental services to the poor. Together, we have evaluated entrepreneurship and financial education programs and developed health emergency savings products that help the poor in the Philippines better deal with sudden health shocks and other emergencies.

Sarah Coleman, Chief Child Protection – UNICEF

Impact evaluations contribute significantly to the effective delivery of UNICEF’s global mandate in support of the realization of the rights of the child. We truly appreciate the high-level technical support provided by Professor Frölich and his team, particularly with regard to our adolescent empowerment and child labour reduction programs in Pakistan.