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The Impact Sector is Confusing Satisfaction with Impact: Rethinking the Growing Reliance on Perception Surveys
Measurement standards in the impact sector have shifted toward perception surveys — i.e., forms that ask individuals to rate their personal experience with a program or organization — to quantify success. But as Juan Taborda Burgos, Jorge Bouchot and Miranda Hansen at Root Capital argue, perception-based metrics can mask a program’s ineffectiveness, potentially leading organizations to scale interventions that do not work. They share insights from a recent Root Capital report that reveal the downsides of relying solely on perception data, and offer four actionable principles that can help leaders navigate the pressure to demonstrate impact — while avoiding costly mistakes.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing, Social Enterprise
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REDD+ Can Make Poor Households More Vulnerable
Analysis of two Indonesian projects finds neutral or negative impacts on household income.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- South Asia
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Community Health Project in Kenya and Uganda Dramatically Cuts New HIV Infections
A Large-scale study finds that simplifying delivery of prevention medication and improving connections to clinics is key to reducing HIV infections.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Indian Screenwriters Sound a Distress Call as New Report Reveals Worsening Pay, Credit Chaos and AI Pressure
Data reveals how most Indian screenwriters feel underpaid, chase dues, and a majority see AI being used as a negotiating tool.
- Categories
- Technology
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World Bank Report Reveals Skills Crisis Costing Nations Half Future Earnings
New Human Capital Index Plus tracks deficits from birth to retirement as Ghana faces persistent learning quality challenges.
- Categories
- Education
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- nutrition, research, skill development, youth
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Report: Adventure Tourism Fuels $1.5 Billion boost for South Africa’s Economy as Local Impact Supports 91,000 Jobs
South Africa’s adventure tourism industry delivered a direct economic injection of about $656 million in 2024, supporting roughly 91,000 jobs, as policymakers and operators position the country to capture a larger share of a rapidly expanding global market.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- employment, public policy, research, tourism
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Critical Minerals, Complex Choices: WDI Report Unpacks the Dilemmas, Pathways for Countries with Vast Reserves
In the following Q&A, report authors Diana E. Páez, WDI Senior Director, Energy & Mobility; Dana Gorodetsky, WDI Program Manager, Energy & Mobility; and Gerald E. Arhin, Research Fellow in the Political Economy of Climate Compatible Development, University College London; discuss the core dilemmas countries face, share lessons from their comparative analysis, and offer guidance for policymakers navigating these complex choices.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Global
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Viewpoint: Measuring More and Learning Less
How an excessive focus on methods has distracted attention from the more fundamental challenge of building rigor and learning overall.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Global
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