Baseline Survey: Impact Evaluation of the Voice and Action: Social Accountability for Improved Service Delivery (I-SAF) Project

Location

Cambodia. Location within country: Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Kampong Thom, Kampot, Koh Kong, Kratie, Mondulkiri, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Pursat, Ratanakiri, Stung Treng, Tboung Khmum (15 provinces)

Project Description

In order to enhance the accountability of service providers and local officials and, as a result, improve the quality of service delivery, the Cambodian government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and bilateral donors have – with assistance from the World Bank through the Voice and Action Program (VAP) – developed the Social Accountability Framework (SAF). Whereas evaluations of social accountability interventions in other contexts indicate that such interventions have been unsuccessful due to a failure to provide service providers and local officials with incentives to change their behavior, the design of the SAF builds on lessons from the body existing research by providing for coordinated interventions by both state and non-state actors.
The Voice and Action Program (VAP) Impact Evaluation (VAP-IE) will use a randomized controlled trial conducted across 42 districts in 15 provinces of Cambodia to determine whether the coordinated interventions mandated by SAF improve the quality of educational, health, and commune services provided to villagers in rural Cambodia and increase villagers’ engagement with local government. Evidence from the VAP-IE will be used by national authorities, NGOs, bilateral donors, and the World Bank to inform future funding and design decisions related to the National Decentralization Reform.

At the baseline, Angkor Research’s involvement in this large-scale, randomized control trial included instrument review/translation (with back-translation), primary CAPI data collection (tablet-based), data management, analysis and reporting to evaluate the effects of I-SAF on a range of household and service delivery indicators at the commune level. The sample is representative of the I-SAF program implementation areas, and covered 336 villages in 22 provinces of Cambodia. On the supply side, Angkor Research conducted interviews with 140 health centers, 168 commune councils, 168 primary schools, and 336 village chiefs (812 IDIs). 3,455 households were targeted for quantitative interviews, out of which 3,363 were completed (97.3% response rate). Data collection also included photos of local government offices, and GPS locations.

Evaluation of a World Food Programme Pilot of Food vs. Cash Assistance: Baseline and Tracking Surveys

Location

Cambodia. Location within country: 7 provinces (Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Cham, Kampong Speu, Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Prey Veng, Pursat)

Project Description

The World Bank is partnering with the WFP in Cambodia to evaluate a pilot design to test food vs. cash support in the context of take home rations at primary school level. The objective of the study is to evaluate the impact of cash vs. food assistance in school feeding programs. A baseline survey of 4,300 households was started in May 2011 in 7 provinces, followed by a smaller tracking survey of 700 households in March 2012.

Angkor Research staff conducted all data collection and data entry activities, including anthropometric data. Specific activities of this consultancy included translating and finalising the research instrument, recruitment and training of teams of enumerators, preparing a logistical plan for carrying out data collection, piloting the survey instruments, implementing the household survey and data entry and processing.

The baseline survey sampled 4,300 households and 421 schools within the seven target provinces. Anthropometric data was collected from approximately 15,000 respondents. The response rate for the baseline survey was 94.4%. The tracking survey in 2012 collected data from 700 of the baseline households and 100 schools.

Evaluation of a World Food Programme Pilot of Food vs. Cash Assistance: Follow-up Survey

Location

Cambodia. Location within country: 7 provinces (Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Cham, Kampong Speu, Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Prey Veng, Pursat)

Project Description

The World Bank partnered with WFP in Cambodia to evaluate a pilot design providing food and cash support to impoverished households, in the context of take-home rations for students at the primary school level. The objective of the study is to evaluate the impact of cash vs. food assistance in WFP school feeding programs on a number of household and individual indicators for health, nutrition, educational ability and socioeconomic status. The longitudinal impact evaluation (tracking the same households across all survey rounds) followed 4,300 households with primary school children enrolled in the WFP school feeding program over the course of one year. The baseline survey of 4,300 households began in March 2011 in the 7 target provinces, followed by a smaller tracking survey of 700 households selected from the baseline sample in March 2012. The follow-up survey was conducted from June to November 2012.

Angkor Research staff conducted all data collection and data entry activities for all three rounds (baseline, tracking and follow-up) of this impact evaluation. Specific activities conducted for the follow-up survey included: reviewing, translating and finalizing the research instrument, recruitment and training of enumerator teams of, preparing a logistical plan for carrying out data collection, piloting the survey instruments, implementing the household survey, and data entry and processing.

The follow-up survey sampled the same 4,300 households and 421 schools from the baseline survey. In addition to the modified baseline instrument, anthropometric data was collected from approximately 15,000 respondents. The follow-up survey was completed within the timeframe agreed upon with the World Bank, with fieldwork conducted over 5 weeks. The response rate for the follow-up survey was 94.5%, which is consistent with the baseline survey and within the parameters of the contract and evaluation methodology. Because of the length of the instrument (over 80 pages of data per household, plus anthropometric data), enumerators averaged 4.7 households each per day.

Study on Health Services for Children with Disabilities in Cambodia

Location

Cambodia, Kampong Thom.

Project Description

This Study aims to provide an understanding of the resources and accessibility of basic literacy education and health services available to children with disabilities in targeted districts in Kampong Thom. The project aims to create a database providing detailed information (location, type of support, etc.) regarding organization working on disabilities in Cambodia, as well as a database of children and adults with disabilities.

Angkor Research conducted a survey aiming to assess the knowledge of all village chiefs (273) in 3 districts of Kampong Thom (Kampong Svay, Stoung and Stung Sen) regarding organizations working with disabilities in their areas and the health services available, as well as the prevalence of people with disabilities in their village. A specific focus was put on creating a list of people with disabilities and children with disabilities to know their knowledge of sign language and Braille, as well as if they went to school. Services provided to reach this end were research design, sampling methodology, instrument review and translation, data collection/oversight, and data entry and cleaning of the datasets.

Impact Evaluation of Service Delivery Grants (SDGs) in the Health Sector in Cambodia: Baseline Survey

Location

Cambodia. Location within country: 23 provinces/municipalities (Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pailin, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Kampong Thom, Kampot, Kep, Kandal, Kratie, Mondulkiri, Oddar Meanchey, Phnom Penh, Prey Veng, Pursat, Ratanakiri, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Stung Treng, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Tboung Khmum)

Project Description

The World Bank, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), is supporting the redesign of Service Delivery Grants (SDGs) that will be implemented as part of the larger Health Equity and Quality Improvement Project (H-EQIP). H-EQIP aims to increase the sustainability of these innovations by improving their resourcing and management as envisaged in the government’s Health Strategic Plan 2016-2020 (HSP3). It will further strengthen the results-based focus of SDGs with a specific goal of improving quality of health service delivery and utilization of services by the poor and will use a multi-pronged approach to strengthening health systems, especially to support improvements in quality of care.

As part of its support, WB designed a rigorous impact evaluation to measure improvements in quality (and quantity) of health service delivery attributed to the SDGs. The results from this quantitative evaluation are expected to inform the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and Development Partners on the efficacy of the proposed intervention. Impact evaluation will take place at the same 3 levels where SDGs are inputted: health centers, hospitals and operational districts (ODs).

The objectives of the baseline data collection are to provide a reference point against which the interventions’ effects can be measured, help inform the intervention design, and contribute to the evidence base on quality of care in Cambodia.

At the baseline, Angkor Research’s involvement in this large-scale, randomized control trial included sample selection, instrument review/translation (from the WB RBF IE Toolkit, with back-translation), primary CAPI data collection (tablet-based) and data management for surveys of both the demand-side and supply-side aspects of health care utilization and access, to evaluate the effects of SDGs on a range of household, service delivery and health care indicators.

The sample is nationally representative, and covered 70 ODs in 23 provinces of Cambodia. On the supply-side, Angkor Research conducted interviews with 70 OD directors, health facility evaluations at 140 public health centers (including medical record audits and drug/medical equipment inventories), 545 interviews with medical staff (including situational vignettes), and 1,000 exit interviews with patients. In the catchment areas of the target health centers, 2,500 households were interviewed on a range of indicators, including health equity fund (HEF) status anthropometrics, health-seeking behavior, out-of-pocket health expenditures and maternal/child health. Household data is longitudinal, and can be linked between survey rounds. Data collection also includes interviews with village authorities and GPS locations in all villages. The household survey was completed with a 98.7% response rate.

“Transforming e-waste into job and business opportunities” Baseline Survey

Post-evaluation of APICI Project

Impact Assessment of Police Post Construction

Study of Food Provision on Garment Workers’ Health and Productivity: Impact Evaluation and Secondary Activities

Assessing the Impact of Social Land Concessions on Rural Livelihoods in Cambodia