ESP 2024: CLEAR South Asia Empowers Leaders to Drive Social Impact Through Evaluation

The Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for South Asia (CLEAR-SA), an implementing partner of the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI), recently conducted its flagship annual training course, Evaluating Social Programs 2024 (ESP 2024). The three-day in-person course, held from December 11 to 13 in Bengaluru, India, brought together professionals to strengthen their skills in assessing social initiatives.

The training focused on leveraging monitoring and evaluation (M&E) to drive sustainable social impact, bringing together 52 leaders and innovators from non-governmental organizations, social enterprises, foundations, corporations, multilateral organizations, and governments. Participants from Asian Development Bank, Tanzania Revenue Authority, Tata Consultancy Services, UNICEF, and other institutions engaged in collaborative learning, guided by CLEAR-SA staff and senior affiliates of J-PAL South Asia, CLEAR-SA's host institution.

The curriculum covered key M&E concepts, including theory of change, impact evaluation methods such as randomized evaluations, evidence-to-scale pathways, and cost-effectiveness analysis. For many attendees, the experience was transformative.

“Attending the ESP 2024 workshop was an enlightening experience,” said Ritupma Shekhawat, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager of Involve Edu. "It provided me with an opportunity to delve into the intricate layers of program evaluations—the why, what, and, most importantly, the how… The workshop reinforced the importance of rigorous evaluation to inform program design and interventions. It underscored the idea that thoughtful evaluations are not just a means of accountability but a pathway to better social impact outcomes.”

ESP 2024 also introduced its first-ever ‘Evaluation Sandbox,’ where participants applied their learnings by designing innovative evaluations for their own programs from scratch. Hands-on case study sessions allowed attendees to break down complex concepts like theory of change and impact evaluation design.

Participants praised the course for its depth and applicability. Leocard Massawe, Senior Tax Management Officer at the Tanzania Revenue Authority, shared: “I am grateful for the incredible opportunity to attend the Evaluating Social Programs organized by CLEAR/J-PAL South Asia. It was an enriching experience that significantly expanded my knowledge.”

Vyjayanthi Mala, Chief of Progress, Assessment, and Learning of the Centre for Exponential Change at Apurva.ai, highlighted the long-term value of the training. “Overall, it is very well designed. It did have a lot of things packed in it though it is understandable why. Creating a community of practitioners to keep this dialogue going can help each participant with continuous learning and growth," she said.

This year’s course also featured two expert plenary sessions, offering insights from leaders in academia and industry. Pramod Bhasin, Founder/CEO of Genpact and Director of Clix Capital, and Shawn Cole, Co-Founder of Precision Development and Professor at Harvard Business School, discussed how evidence-driven evaluations can enhance social impact, sharing experiences from years of evaluations. Meanwhile, Professor Karthik Muralidharan from the University of California, San Diego, delivered a compelling session on India’s development trajectory and the role of evidence-based policy making in strengthening state capacity and accelerating national growth.

ESP 2024 reaffirmed CLEAR-SA's commitment to building M&E expertise across sectors and regions, empowering professionals with the tools to make data-driven decisions for greater social impact.

To learn more about ESP 2024, contact clearsateam@clearsouthasia.org.