Independent Evaluation: Synthesis Notes
Browse key findings, reports, and reviews of ADB-assisted operations and projects.
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Lessons from the Validation of Technical Assistance Completion Reports, July 2021–June 2022
This synthesis note distills knowledge from independent validations of technical assistance completion reports (TCRs) to help improve the design and implementation of future technical assistance (TA) operations. This is the second TCR validation (TCRV) synthesis note prepared by the Independent Evaluation Department (IED). This note provides a snapshot of TA performance from a total of 92 TCRVs conducted from July 2021 to June 2022 and contributes to institutional learning and future TA and knowledge work. -
Technical Assistance Completion Report Validation: Observations and Emerging Lessons
This synthesis paper provides observations and emerging lessons from technical assistance completion report (TCR) validations. This paper provides emerging lessons and illustrative examples based on the first year of mainstreaming the TCR validation system. -
Water and Other Urban Infrastructure Services Sector: Lessons from Project Evaluations
This synthesis report of evaluations of projects in the water and other urban infrastructure and services (WUS) sector consolidates the key findings and lessons from independent evaluations of projects conducted during 2017–2020. Sector synthesis reports aim to increase the usability of the evaluation reports and to feed lessons from past WUS projects to those under preparation or in the pipeline in order to improve project quality-at-entry and delivery. -
Addressing the COVID-19 Crisis: Lessons from Support for Public Financial Management
This paper provides a synthesis of lessons from evaluations of public financial management (PFM) support by ADB, other multilateral development banks, and the International Monetary Fund, as well as lessons from research and analysis by other international organizations such as the World Health Organization. It draws upon experience from past crises, and from previous budget support operations targeted at medium-term PFM reforms, emphasizing the lessons they offer. -
Safeguards Assessment of Sovereign Projects, 2018–2019: Observations and Lessons on Project Categorization and Quality at Entry
Project-level evaluation helps to distill lessons that can be used to guide future responsiveness and quality at entry, through better project designs and implementation. It also supports knowledge enhancement within the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and is aligned with ADB’s Strategy 2030, which emphasizes the sustained outcomes of a project. -
Lessons from ADB’s Social Protection Interventions: A Synthesis of Learning on Social Assistance Support
This synthesis paper aims to summarize, synthesize, and integrate research findings and lessons from evaluations of ADB’s two decades of experience supporting social assistance initiatives. It aims to inform the design and implementation of similar interventions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic period, and IED’s ongoing and future evaluations. -
Systematic Review on the Impact of Access to Electricity on Household Welfare
This systematic review report aims to appraise and synthesize available, high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of electricity interventions on socioeconomic outcomes in low- and middle- income countries. -
Energy Sector Project Evaluations, 2015–2019
This synthesis report consolidates the findings and lessons learned from recent project-level independent evaluations in the energy sector. A sector synthesis report is a new type of product from IED designed to capture lessons from ADB projects in order to improve their quality and delivery. The consolidated findings and lessons provided by the sector synthesis reports aim to link the lessons learned from PVRs and XVRs to projects under preparation or in the pipeline. -
Responding to COVID-19: Lessons from Previous Support to Micro, Small, and Medium- Sized Enterprises
This synthesis note aims to extract lessons from the previous micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) operations of ADB and its development partners (including nonbank and private sector financial institutions) to help guide the design of future ADB operations in relation to the COVID-19 crisis. Lessons from past financing support provided to MSMEs to cope with the 1997–1998 Asian financial crisis and the 2008–2009 global financial crisis have a continuing relevance for the ADB support that may have to be considered both during the crisis and afterwards. -
Safeguard Assessment of Nonsovereign Projects
Formulating lessons through evaluation to further improve project design and implementation has long been recognized by the Independent Evaluation Department (IED) as a means of contributing to continuous learning within the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The capture of lessons learned could also provide a basis for knowledge products, in line with ADB’s Strategy 2030, which gives greater emphasis to sustainability of project outcomes.