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Evaluation Design for the Environmental and Natural Resource Management Project to Improve Hydropower Generation in Malawi
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Evaluation Design for the Environmental and Natural Resource Management Project to Improve Hydropower Generation in Malawi

Published: Mar 06, 2018
Publisher: Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research
Global Energy Research & Evaluation Evaluation Design

Associated Project

Evaluating Environmental and Natural Resource Management Interventions to Reduce Hydroelectricity Losses in Malawi

Time frame: 2016-2022

Prepared for:

Millennium Challenge Corporation

Authors

Kristen Velyvis

Matt Sloan

Claudia Ringler

Ephraim Nkonya

Hua Xie

Helen Powell

Jeremy Brecher-Haimson

Anca Dumitrescu

Thomas Coen

Arif Mamun

Key Findings

  • Mathematica is designing and implementing an independent evaluation of the ENRM Project to determine how the overall project and individual activities help to improve the efficiency of hydropower generation and reduce costly generation disruptions.
  • The evaluation of the ENRM Project in Malawi encompasses separate evaluations for the Weed and Sedimentation Management activity, the ENRM and Social and Gender Enhancement Fund (SGEF) grant facility, the ENRM and SGEF grants, and the Environmental Trust, as well as an evaluation of the overall ENRM Project.
  • We will conduct an impact evaluation using an interrupted time series design combined with a performance evaluation using a pre-post design and qualitative implementation analysis. The impact analysis will enable us to provide quantitative estimates of impacts related to the operations and productivity of the hydropower plants. The performance evaluation will enable us to answer questions about implementation, maintenance, and perceived sustainability.
  • Through the ENRM and SGEF grant facility, MCA-Malawi provided grants to 11 organizations to be implemented over a three-year period. We will evaluate five of the grants using a case study approach that incorporates primary qualitative as well as programmatic data collected by the implementers.

Mathematica designed and is implementing an independent evaluation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Environmental and Natural Resource Management (ENRM) Project to determine how the overall project and individual activities helped to improve the efficiency of hydropower generation and reduce costly generation disruptions. The ENRM Project evaluation addresses research questions on project outcomes, implementation, and sustainability. The mixed-methods evaluation employs quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods.

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