Using baseline studies as a basis for monitoring and evaluation: A review of the literature

Abstract

Baseline data is often required by any organization or agency before an intervention as a basis for bench-marking progress; not only when implementation commences, but even prior to starting to gain knowledge of the situation at hand, and as a pillar for mid-term, end-term and impact evaluations. Baseline studies are pivotal as part of the pre-intervention foundational activities, because they help in testing hypotheses and can be a point of reference in the formative stages of a project in case the changes are bigger than what was assumed. Baseline studies have been very useful in project design and are an integral component of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) frameworks. In impact evaluations, baseline studies provide a basis for comparing the change observed over time with the situation that existed before the intervention or program. Because of donor preconditions, most implementers carry out baseline studies as a donor requirement and not as part of the standard M&E practice. This paper provides an overview of baseline studies as a valuable tool to inform the M&E processes and how baseline data has been utilized in M&E of different interventions. It concludes that baseline studies, if conducted well and data from them utilized effectively are very handy and useful in informing M&E processes.