Final evaluation of the ‘Turnover with impact’ programme

The aim of the “Turnover with Impact” programme is to promote sustainable trade and investment between the Netherlands and emerging and developing countries. The final evaluation assessed the effectiveness, impact, sustainability, relevance, additionality and leverage of the programme. Separate case study reports were made of six corporate responsibility projects co-financed by the programme.
Period of implementation: February-October 2021

Main report:
Niek de Jong and Karen Maas. Final evaluation of the ‘Turnover with Impact’ programme. Rotterdam: ERBS and ICE, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Report commissioned by the Directorate for International Market Organisation and Trade Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. October 2021.
Case study reports: see link

Evaluation of Projects Co-financed by the Sustainable Water Fund (FDW)

The synthesis report concludes that the projects score moderate to satisfactory on the contribution to poverty alleviation and changes in sustainable growth, self-reliance, food security, safety and public health. The added value of the PPP’s is mostly positive. As for financial, institutional, ecological, technical and social sustainability particularly the projects in Ethiopia show good results.

John Cameron, Niek de Jong, Carley Pennink and Nico van der Windt. Evaluation of Projects Co-financed by the Sustainable Water Fund (FDW) – Synthesis Report. Report commissioned by the Department of Inclusive Green Growth of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. July 2020.

Evaluation of Development-relevant Infrastructure Development Programme ORIO

Kilimanjaro International Airport

The external evaluation of the ORIO programme assessed its achievements so far. Its main objectives were:

  • to determine the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, additionality and policy coherence of the ORIO programme;
  • to learn from the assessment of the functioning and effects of the ORIO programme and the use of resources, in order to generate relevant information for the improvement of similar programmes.

The evaluation focused on the period from 2009 to the end of 2018 and addressed key issues at both the programme level and the project level. It combined qualitative research, based on a study of documents and interviews with stakeholders, with quantitative research, based on data from the portfolio of projects and data collected for the following case studies:

  • Enhancement of maternal Health and Paediatric Service in the Zanzibar archipelago, Mnazi Moja Hospital, Tanzania;
  • Rehabilitation of Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania;
  • Development of the Port of Ziguinchor, Senegal;
  • Satellite-Based Water Monitoring and Flow Forecasting System for the Niger River Basin, Niger.

As far as available, it made use of findings of six impact assessments (being) conducted by external consultants under separate contracts.

The team of consultants for the evaluation was led by Nico van der Windt (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and furthermore comprised Elena Gross (University of Bayreuth), Martin van der Linde (independent researcher), Niek de Jong, Dr. Ogenis Brilhante, Floris de Haan, Jan-Jelle Witte and Prof Dr. Geske Dijkstra (all of Erasmus University Rotterdam). Viviana Cordero Vinueza provided helpful research assistance. The following evaluators also contributed to the underlying case studies of this evaluation: Dr. Stephen Kirama from Tanzania, Mr. Ousseynou Diop from Senegal and Ms. Fannata Souleymane Mamdou Mari from Niger.

Period of implementation: January 2019-March 2020

Main report:

Nico van der Windt and Niek de Jong. Evaluation ORIO – “Ontwikkelingsrelevante Infrastructuurontwikkeling”. Final Report. Report commissioned by the Department of Sustainable Economic Development of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Erasmus University Rotterdam, March 2020.

Evaluation of CBI Integrated Programmes 2012-2018

This external evaluation intended to reflect on and provide input for adjustment of the approach of CBI – the centre for the promotion of imports from developing countries. Its main purpose was therefore to determine a series of lessons and recommendations for the future. It covered three regional Integrated Programmes (IPs) that were implemented in 2012-2018 and dealt with agro-food products and food ingredients in Central America, East Africa and Southeast Asia.

The evaluation was carried out in collaboration with the Royal Tropical Institute. For the evaluation, interviews were held in Honduras, Indonesia and Uganda.

Implementation period:

October 2018 -June 2019

Reports:

Niek de Jong, Froukje Kruijssen and Nico van der Windt. Evaluation of CBI Integrated Programmes 2012-2018. Final Report. Report commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs. Rotterdam and Amsterdam: ERBS, Erasmus University Rotterdam and KIT Royal Tropical Institute. July 2019

Niek de Jong and Rafael del Cid. Country Report Honduras – Evaluation CBI Integrated Agro-Food Programmes. Report commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs. Rotterdam and Tegucigalpa: ERBS, Erasmus University Rotterdam. July 2019

Evaluation of Migrant Entrepreneurship Projects

The aim of this project was the evaluation of the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and sustainability of six so-called migrant entrepreneurship projects implemented in the countries of origin of diaspora living in the Netherlands.

Implementation period:

October 2018 – July 2019

Report:

Marije Balt, Willem Cornelissen, Niek de Jong, Wim Naudé and Anja Willemsen. External Evaluation of Migrant Entrepreneurship Projects. Report commissioned by the Department for Stability and Humanitarian Aid and the Department of Sustainable Economic Development of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. July 2019.

Projections of supply and demand for teachers in Chile

The aim of this project was to study past trends in the labour market for teachers in Chile, to make projections of the supply of and demand for teachers in Chile for the period 2016-2025, using a forecast model with (econometrically) estimated parameters, and to give policy recommendations.

Implementation period:

November 2016-July 2017

Report:

Niek de Jong Paul de Hek and Jaap de Koning. Estudio de Proyecciones de Oferta y Demanda de Profesores para los Próximos 10 Años en Chile. Informe Final. Study commissioned by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Chile. Rotterdam: ERBS, Erasmus University Rotterdam. July 2017

Impact evaluation Electrifying Rural Tanzania: A Grid Extension and Reliability Improvement Intervention

Electrifying Rural Tanzania, a rigorous impact evaluation

As assignment under the Framework Contract with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency RVO, the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung and the Georg August Universität, Göttingen (with the Economics Department of the University of Dar es Salaam as local partner) conducted an impact evaluation for the Electrifying Rural Tanzania project, financed through the Dutch Facility for Infrastructure Development ORIO. The aim of the ORIO project was toreplace old existing diesel generators in three rural townships by modern state-of-the-art generators and to extend the local electricity grids to surrounding rural areas.

The rigorous impact evaluation was conducted between 2014 and 2019. For rural households, a quantitative difference-in-differences (Diff-in-diff) approach was used in two survey waves with 58 treatment communities and 42 control communities with a four to five year interval between the surveys. For urban households and enterprises, a before-after quantitative comparison was applied. In total, 1155 households were surveyed in rural areas and 300 households and 595 enterprises in towns. The main conclusions was that the project was overtaken by the speed of the roll-out of the electricity grid, while at the same time rural households made increasingly of solar panels; for urban households the project contributed to stability in electricity supply that is important for entreprises.