Why some international development projects are more successful than others?

Executive Summary: This briefing explores the crucial role of project monitoring and evaluation in achieving impactful outcomes in international development (ID) projects. Drawing on agency theory, the research examines how these supervisory mechanisms mitigate information asymmetry and goal incongruence between project funders (principals) and implementing partners (agents). Key findings highlight the significant influence of monitoring on both information asymmetry and goal congruence, directly and indirectly impacting ID project success. While evaluation demonstrates a strong effect on aligning goals, its impact on information asymmetry requires further investigation.

Main Themes:

• The Primacy of ID Project Impact: ID projects uniquely aim to alleviate poverty and generate posi ...