Thematic Theories of Change Contributing to the Agenda 2030

Summary

EBA working papers are shorter studies that investigate a question of limited scope or that complements a regular EBA study. Working papers are not subject to a formal decision from the expert group but instead reviewed by the secretariat before publication. The authors are, as with other EBA publications, responsible for the content of the report and its conclusions.

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 was that Sida should develop its work with theories of change (ToC) at the strategy level 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 ToCs from different perspectives.

This working paper is one of the contributions to the forthcoming anthology. The authors, Suvi Virkkunen and Alva Bruun (both formerly with the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, MFA) describe how thematic ToCs have been established for the Finnish development cooperation. In the working paper the approach to, and understanding of, ToCs is described. Finland has, interestingly, established one overarching theory of ToC for the entire development cooperation, supported by the thematic ToCs. The authors go on to describe how the MFA has tackled questions of how the ToCs relate to one another, how they have treated cross cutting issues and how learning and reporting is accommodated.