CLEAR-SA and J-PAL South Asia Deliver Flagship Measurement and Survey Design Course

GEI implementing partner, the Center for Learning on Results and Evaluation for South Asia (CLEAR-SA), and its host institution, J-PAL South Asia, recently concluded the 2023 edition of their annual course on measurement and survey design, held in October 2023 in New Delhi, India. This was the first in-person training program conducted by CLEAR-SA since the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s course had 31 participants from across the country from organizations such as the Aga Khan Foundation, 3IE, Oxford Policy Management, and the Australian Council for Education Research, amongst others.

CLEAR-SA and J-PAL South Asia developed the “Measurement and Survey Design Course” (MSDC) in 2015 in order to strengthen the crucial practice of data collection in the development ecosystem in South Asia. The course draws upon lessons from 20 years of J-PAL's extensive work in measurement, survey design, and data collection. Reflecting the needs of NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the region, MSDC has been conducted annually for development practitioners to build their foundational understanding of measurement and survey design strategies.

The course covers concepts such as the theory of change framework and creating SMART indicators for “hard to measure” outcomes, piloting survey instruments, designing field management protocols, and structuring, training, and managing a field team. Case study group work sessions supplement the theoretical lectures by unpacking real-world measurement and survey design techniques from J-PAL evaluations. This year, representatives from Breakthrough, an NGO working to eliminate gender-based violence, joined the course to discuss their approach towards measurement and survey design, providing a real-life case study showcasing practical applications of theoretical concepts.