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Ex post comparison

What are you looking for?

Characteristics

The target group’s development is examined beyond the end of the project.

Example

Three years after the end of the project, 70% of the rural population of Region x live within 15 minutes’ walk of clean drinking water. That is more than before the project, but less than at the end of the project.

AdvantagesDisadvantages
The investment in data collection can often be justified.External influences cannot be excluded, as there is no comparison with a control group.
The methodological know-how is often available internally or can be learnt.It is not clear whether the set objectives have been achieved.
A plausible case can be made for whether an intervention has made a contribution to the planned effects or not.The findings only become available years after the completion of the intervention.
It can show whether the intervention was sustainable or not.


Suitability

It is put to use when the sustainability of an intervention needs to be studied. Due to the time lag, the information is generated too late for short-term legitimising and for immediate steering and learning. It can, however, be used for the organisation’s long-term development and strategic direction.