This
paper is a slightly revised version of a paper prepared for the seminar
on methods for inpact evaluation of family planning programs held in
Jaco, Costa Rica, May 14-16, 1997. The seminar was sponsored by the
International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the
Carolina Population Center of the University of North Carolina, and the
Central American Population Program of the University of Costa
Rica. The
goal of the seminar was to look at current methodological problems
facing careful evaluation of the impact of programs, to examine some of
the new methods that have been developed to address persistent issues,
and to assess the methodological challenges posed by the expanded goals
of many programs following the 1994 Cairo International Conference on
Population and Development. This
paper was designed to serve as the background to discussions of current
methodologies and issues by tracing the development and nature of
methods for assessing impact that started soon after the first programs
were initiated in the 1950s. The techniques discussed include
standardization and trend analysis, the analyses of acceptor data,
experimental designs, multivariate areal analysis, population-based
surveys, and multilevel strategies. The intent of the program sponsors and
coordinators was to publish the collected papers but various
contingencies intervened to make this infeasible. A description of the
seminar and many of the papers are maintained on the University of
Costa Rica website:
http://ccp.ucr.ac.cr/noticias/plani/iusspi.htm.
As a background chapter, the original version contained references to
many of the other chapters planned for the volume. As many of these
papers appear on the website, relevant references are given to the
authors and this website throughout the paper.
Keywords:Evaluation
of programs, Evaluation of impact, Programs of familiar planning,Familiar
planning
Palabras Clave: Evaluación de programas, Evaluación de impacto,
Programas de planificación familiar, Planificación familiar
Afiliación del autor:
Albert I., Hermalin Research
Scientist, Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
