Basic Impact Assessment At Project Level Page 33
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36(i)
better impact assessments, and
(ii)
intended beneficiaries will be empowered through the research process itself
In practice, the art of participatory impact assessment (PIA) is in its infancy and a
pragmatic rather than a purist approach has been common.
The reliability of participatory methods varies enormously, as with ‘scientific’ surveys,
depending largely on the motivation and skills of facilitators and those investigated
and the ways in which informants’ perceptions of the consequences of research are
addressed. Nevertheless, it is argued that a number of rigorous comparative studies
have shown that, when well-conducted, participatory methods can be more reliable
than conventional surveys.
To date the literature on PLA and PIA has only partially addressed the issue of
attribution. From a scientific perspective PIA has grave problems because:
• of the subjectivity of its conceptualisations of impact;
• the subjectivity of the data used to assess impact;
• the variables and measures used vary from case to case and do not permit
comparison;
• its pluralist approach may lead to a number of mutually conflicting accounts
being generated about causality; and,
• the assumption that because lots of people are taking part in an exercise
means that all are able to ‘voice’ their concerns (so that opinions are
representative) is naive about the nature of local power relations.
From the perspective of a ‘new professional', however, such a set of accounts is
unproblematic, as it reflects the complexity and contingency of causality in the real
world. In addition, it can be argued that PIA contributes to program goals (perhaps
particularly in terms of empowering women and the poor) by not facilitating the
continued dominance of target groups by powerful outsiders.
Because of the different pattern of strengths and weaknesses offered by each
method of IA, there has been a growing consensus amongst impact assessors that
the central question is no longer "what is the optimal method for this study" but rather
"what mix of methods is most appropriate for this study, and how should they be
combined."
Depending on the level of resources available and the context, impact studies
increasingly seek to combine the strengths of different approaches and, in particular,
seek to combine the advantages of sample survey and statistical approaches
(representativeness, quantification and attribution) with the advantages of humanities
or participatory approaches (ability to uncover processes, capture the diversity of
perceptions, views of minorities, unexpected impacts etc).
33
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