Motivation
Cost-effectiveness evidence is essential for deciding how scarce resources can best be used to alleviate poverty. Yet, despite strong policymaker interest, fewer than one-in-five impact evaluations include the cost per impact of the evaluated program. When impact evaluations do include cost estimates, poor quality of underlying cost data and a lack of reporting transparency makes them unreliable.
CEGA’s Costing Community of Practice (CCoP) addressed the barriers to generating more, and better, cost-effectiveness evidence. With initial support from USAID in 2020, CEGA organized a convening to launch the CCoP as part of CEGA’s Cash Benchmarking initiative, which informs decision-makers with rigorous evidence of impact and cost-effectiveness. The CCoP improved the generalizability and value of the cost-effectiveness evidence by promoting a wider adoption of standards of rigor for cost-effectiveness analysis.
Activities
The CCoP developed curated content on cost analysis resources, and convened a forum to expand access to expertise and build the cost evidence base in the field of international development.
CCoP members published the article The State of Cost-Effectiveness Guidance: Ten Best Resources for CEA in Impact Evaluations, which includes a curated list of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) resources for researchers and practitioners
CEGA worked with the CCoP to organize our “Cost-ober” event, as well as regular CCoP Brown Bag Lunches:
- Cost-ober 2020 Webinar Series: The Role of Cost Evidence in Global Development Research
- Cost-ober 2021 Webinar Series: The Role of High-Quality Cost Evidence in Impact Evaluation Research
- CCoP Brown Bag Lunches
Members
Although the CCoP is no longer active, you can still get involved with CEGA’s costing work by contacting Liz Brown.
International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
Evidence Action
The Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund (SIEF), World Bank
The Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) in Tanzania
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)
