By contributing to knowledge and providing information on the performance and achievement of activities, evaluating CBI enables informed decision-making for policymakers, programme managers and other key stakeholders.24
The accountability dimension is usually addressed to donors and other stakeholders, including beneficiaries, by demonstrating whether CBI activities have been carried out as agreed and whether intended results are achieved, and in compliance with established standards. To gain the full benefit of learning from CBI and to ensure that the organization continues to build on its recognized strengths of flexibility, reliability and creativity, a strong evaluation culture is required and encouraged.
Evaluating CBI can be considered a means to discuss causality. While monitoring may show whether indicators have progressed, it remains limited in explaining, in detail, why a change occurred. Evaluation, on the other hand, looks at the question of what difference the implementation of an activity and/or intervention has made. It provides practitioners with the required in-depth and evidence-based data for decision-making purposes, as it can assess whether, how, why and what type of change has occurred during a cash-based intervention.
24 For more information on planning, managing, and conducting evaluations, please see Chapter 5 of the 2021 IOM M&E Guidelines.