Evaluating Social Funds : A Cross-Country Analysis of Community Interventions.

Intro -- Contents -- Abbreviations and Data Note -- Acknowledgments -- Executive Summary -- Introduction -- Social Funds: An Innovative, Community-Based Tool -- Objectives of the Study -- Context of the Research -- Outline of the Report -- 1. Overview of Social Funds -- Definitions and Characteristics -- General Debates about the Model -- Description of the Six Case Study Social Funds -- The Project Cycle and Implementation Arrangements -- Capacity Building and Coordination with Stakeholders -- Findings from Earlier Studies -- Measuring Workers' Gains -- Expanding Access to Services -- Reaching the Poor -- 2. Methodology -- Overall Approach to Study Questions -- Research Questions -- Evaluation Methodology -- Evaluating Poverty Targeting -- Evaluating Facilities -- Evaluating Household Impact -- Approaches to Impact Evaluation in the Country Case Studies -- Cost Study Methodology -- Analysis of Participation, Perceptions, and Priorities -- Data Sources and Sample Sizes -- Data Sources -- Sample Size and Design -- Costs and Time Frame -- Implications -- Lessons on Methodology -- Operational Recommendations for Evaluation -- 3. Performance in Poverty Targeting -- Research Focus -- Geographic Targeting Performance -- Cumulative Results -- Recent Trends -- Variation in Spending among Districts or Municipalities -- Household Targeting Performance -- Results Based on Poverty Lines -- Results Based on Income or Consumption Deciles -- Results by Type of Project -- Comparison of Targeting by Social Fund and Other Programs -- Geographic Targeting -- Household Targeting -- Targeting within Districts -- Analysis of Potential versus Actual Beneficiaries -- Implications -- 4. Education -- Research Focus -- Impact on Infrastructure -- Impact on the Availability of Equipment, Furniture, and Textbooks -- Impact on Staffing, School Size, and Student-Teacher Ratios.

Number of Students -- Student-Teacher Ratios -- Impact on Educational Outcomes -- Enrollment Rates -- Educational Attainment -- Sustainability -- Implications -- 5. Health -- Research Focus -- Impact on Infrastructure -- Impact on Availability of Key Inputs -- Medical Equipment and Furniture -- Access to Essential Medicines and Supplies -- Staffing -- Impact on Health Outcomes -- Utilization Rates -- Health Outcomes -- Sustainability -- Implications -- 6. Water and Sanitation -- Research Focus -- Water Systems -- Quality and Utilization -- Physical and Operational Sustainability -- Household-Level Impacts -- Sewerage Systems -- Supply and Utilization -- Physical and Operational Sustainability -- Household-Level Impacts -- Latrines -- Quality and Utilization -- Household-Level Impacts -- Implications -- Water Systems -- Sewerage Systems -- Latrines -- 7. Community Dynamics -- Research Focus -- Response to Community Priorities -- How Projects Are Identified -- Findings -- Participation throughout the Project Cycle -- Project Identification -- Design -- Implementation -- Operation and Maintenance -- Does Participation Matter? -- Implications -- 8. Cost Analysis of Social Funds -- Research Focus -- Complications and Caveats -- Comparators -- Education -- Health -- Water and Sanitation -- Water Supply Systems -- Sewerage and Latrines -- Program Efficiency -- Overhead Expenditures -- Speed of Execution -- Leveraging of Community Resources -- Implications -- 9. Conclusions -- General Findings -- Key Design Issues for Social Funds -- Improving Poverty Targeting -- Improving the Impact -- Enhancing Sustainability -- Increasing Cost-Efficiency -- Ensuring Relevance to Community Needs and Active Engagement of Citizens -- Key Issues for Impact Evaluation -- Implications for the Role of Social Funds within Poverty Reduction Strategies.

Appendix: Methodology for Education, Health, and Water and Sanitation Impact Evaluations -- Bibliography -- Tables -- 1.1 Basic Information on the Case Study Social Funds -- 2.1 Impact Evaluation Designs Applied in the Case Study Countries -- 2.2 Cost Study Sample Frames and Methodologies -- 2.3 Data Sources Used in the Country Case Studies -- 2.4 Household and Facility Sample Sizes Used for Targeting and Impact Evaluation, Treatment and Comparator Groups Combined -- 2.5 Estimated Costs of Impact Evaluations and Targeting Analyses -- 3.1 Units Used in Analysis of Geographic Targeting -- 3.2 Cumulative Geographic Distribution of Social Fund Resources by Population Decile -- 3.3 Distribution of Social Fund Beneficiaries by Population Decile -- 3.4 Distribution of Social Fund Beneficiaries by Population Decile and Type of Project, Honduras and Nicaragua -- 3.5 Distribution of Social Fund and Municipal Expenditures among Municipalities Ranked by Poverty, Bolivia -- 3.6 Distribution of Social Program Benefits among Households by Decile, Armenia, 1998 -- 3.7 Distribution of Education and Health Benefits by Quintile, Nicaragua, 1998 -- 4.1 Education Project Component of Total Social Fund Investment -- 4.2 Physical Condition of Social Fund and Non-Social Fund Schools, Case Study Countries in Latin America -- 4.3 Access to Safe Water and to Electricity in Social Fund and Non-Social Fund Schools -- 4.4 Students per Desk, Bolivia, Honduras, and Zambia -- 4.5 Availability of School Furniture, Zambia -- 4.6 Change in School Size -- 4.7 Student-Teacher Ratios -- 4.8 Net Primary Enrollment Rates -- 5.1 Health Project Component of Total Social Fund Investment -- 5.2 Health Facilities in Adequate or Better Condition -- 5.3 Health Facilities' Access to Utilities -- 5.4 Health Facilities' Access to Essential Medicines and Supplies.

5.5 Staffing of Health Facilities, 1993 and 1997-98 -- 5.6 Impact of Social Fund Investment on Household Utilization of Health Facilities, 1998 -- 5.7 Average Daily Consultations in Urban and Rural Health Posts, Honduras, 1997 -- 5.8 Health Facility Utilization Overall and by Female Patients, Nicaragua, 1993 and 1997 -- 5.9 Impact of Social Fund Investments in Health Centers on Infant and Under-Five Mortality, Bolivia, 1993-97 -- 5.10 Indicators of Sustainability of Health Facilities -- 5.11 Maintenance of Health Facilities, Nicaragua -- 6.1 Quality of Water Systems, Honduras, 1999 -- 6.2 Impact of Social Fund Water Investments on Under-Five Mortality, Bolivia, 1993-97 -- 6.3 Impact of Social Fund Water Investments on Health Outcomes and Household Access to Water, Nicaragua -- 6.4 Quality of Sewerage Systems, Honduras, 1999 -- 6.5 Quality of Latrines, Honduras, 1999 -- 7.1 Community Investment Priorities and Choices, by Project Type, Honduras -- 7.2 Share of Beneficiary Households Consulted about Social Fund and Other Projects, Honduras -- 7.3 Beneficiary Households Participating in Project Execution, Honduras -- 8.1 Glossary of Social Funds and Comparator Programs Used in the Cost Analysis -- 8.2 Unit Costs in School Infrastructure Projects -- 8.3 Costs of Different Approaches to Constructing School Infrasturcture, Zambia -- 8.4 Unit Costs in Health Center Investment Projects -- 8.5 Unit Costs in Water Infrastucture Projects -- 8.6 Unit Costs in Sanitation Projects -- 8.7 Annual Overhead Expenditures as a Share of Total Program Cost, by Type of Implementing Program -- 8.8 Local Contributions as a Share of Direct Costs in Social Fund Projects -- 8.9 Local Contributions as a Share of Direct Costs in Social Fund and Other Projects, Nicaragua and Peru -- A.1 Education Evaluation: Household and Facilities Sample Sizes by Country.

A.2 Health Evaluation: Household and Facilities Sample Sizes by Country -- A.3 Water and Sanitation Evaluation: Household and Facilities Survey Sample Sizes by Country and Subsector -- Boxes -- 1 Country Case Evaluation Studies -- 2.1 Impact Evaluation Methodologies -- 2.2 Qualitative Assessments Reviewed -- 3.1 Comparing Targeting Results in Honduras Using Different Measures -- 3.2 Targeting of Social Funds to the Poor and the Poorest -- 4.1 A Parent Speaks about the Importance of Social Fund Investments in School Infrastructure -- 4.2 Poverty and Gender Aspects of the Impacts of Social Fund Investments in Education in Nicaragua -- 4.3 Indigenous Communities and Social Funds: Lessons from Education Investments in Peru -- 4.4 Comment on the Social Fund's School Investments, Honduras -- 4.5 Infrastructure Inputs and Academic Achievement in Developing Countries -- 5.1 Evidence on Supply-Side Factors Affecting Utilization of Health Care -- 5.2 Beneficiaries of Social Fund Health Posts Speak Out -- 5.3 Evidence on Supply-Side Factors Affecting Health Outcomes -- 6.1 Comparing the Sustainability of Water Systems across Countries -- 6.2 International Evidence on the Health Effects of Sewerage Investments -- 6.3 Concrete Benefits from Sanitation Projects, Honduras -- 7.1 Selection of Lower-Priority Projects: Two Cases in Honduras -- 7.2 On the Responsiveness of Local Governments in Armenia -- 7.3 The Importance of Ownership: Comments from Honduras and Zambia -- 7.4 Participation in Maintenance in Nicaragua -- 7.5 Participation and Determinants of Success in Social Fund Projects in Peru -- 8.1 Costs of Rural Water Systems in Three Andean Countries -- 9.1 The Contribution of Impact Evaluation to Program Design: Honduras and Nicaragua -- Figures -- 3.1 Cumulative Geographic Distribution of Social Fund Resources by Municipal or District Poverty Decile.

3.2 Change in Geographic Targeting over Time.

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