Applying Adaptive Theory of Change in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings

Summary

Working paper, November 2021 At the end of 2020, the Swedish Agency for Public Management (Statskontoret) and the Swedish National Financial Management Authority (ESV) undertook a review of the government's governance of Sida, and of the agency's internal efficiency and management procedures. One of the recommendations to Sida was that the authority should develop its work with theories of change in order to strengthen learning and the application of experience, evaluation and evidence in the implementation of the government's strategies. To contribute to this work, EBA decided to produce an anthology with texts that shed light on theories of change from different perspectives. Before the finalisation of the anthology, the contributions, of which this is one, are published as separate working papers. In this text, Léonie Borel, Julian Brett and Erik Bryld describe how theories of change can be used as a tool for adaptive management of aid and development cooperation. They focus on fragile and conflict affected settings, where the importance of being able of adapt is especially important. The authors then go on to describe how an adaptive approach can be evaluated, to ensure learning.