Although methodology (statistics and measurement) is an important component of evaluation, it is only one part of a much more complex enterprise. By inference, educational programs that only focus on methodology are not considered to be evaluation training programs. With that as an initial premise, the following topics are described in this paper: a brief, historical perspective of evaluation training including how it is evolving; a summary of the main findings from the most recent (1994) study of the results of evaluation training in the United States, Canada, and Australia; the current, in-process worldwide study of evaluation training; and trends that are projected to emerge with regard to training in the broader context of a field undergoing rapid growth and globalization.

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This paper aims at discussing the concept and utilization of program theory matrix (PTM) in evaluation in order to improve the usefulness of evaluation analysis. PTM is effective for evaluation of projects and compensates for the disadvantage of evaluations using the project design matrix (PDM). Furthermore, PTM provides a framework for analysis to synthesize a number of evaluation results and to create useful lessons and recommendations.
Many studies were conducted on PTM utilization in evaluation of an individual project. This paper mainly focuses on examining the possibility utilizing PTM for a number of projects. To put it concretely, the paper seeks a methodology of policy and program evaluation by synthesizing project evaluation results by utilizing PTM. The paper also seeks a way to generalize and conceptualize number of evaluation results by the meta-evaluation method. The paper examines two evaluation studies as case studies. These evaluations, namely the Thematic Evaluation on Population and Health Sector in the Philippines under JICA/USAID Collaboration: Partl and Evaluation on Support for South-South Cooperation, provide some implications for utilization of PTM. In addition, the paper illustrates the effectiveness of PTM for results-based management, benchmarking and internal/self-evaluation.

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The purpose of this paper is to put forward a framework for seeking a solution to the various problems in performance measurement in local governments.
After a brief review of the current status of their practices and accomplishments, it identifies the structure of problems to be solved by placing them in a two-dimensional table, where one dimension is categorized as “tools and techniques”, “strategies” or “practices”, and the other is categorized as “extensive”, “intensive” or “external”. Scrutinizing this table gives us a list of five groups of problems as follows: i) Management cycle; ii) External relation; iii) Basic methodology; iv) Management of performance measurement; and v) Attitude, capability and behavior of government officials.
The paper concludes with a suggestion of necessary conditions of successful practice to be met inside and outside local governments. First, each of five groups of problems should be tackled distinguishing the five levels of reform, that is, governing systems, administrative systems, organizational level, work processes, and people level. Secondly, accountability should be improved by focusing outcome. Lastly, there are three conditions outside local governments: i) development and dissemination of tools and methodologies; ii) collaboration with entities outside and citizens to incorporate management cycle; and iii) progress of decentralization as part of nationwide administrative reform.

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This paper evaluates JICA projects from a socio-gender perspective and studies the importance of gender mainstreaming in the projects.
Project activities can be categorized into several steps. In each step, there are gender-related elements. This paper provides nine necessary conditions for the gender aspect of project activities to be satisfied, and evaluates JICA projects based on them. JICA projects evaluated in this paper satisfy these conditions to a certain extent. Moreover, the gender related elements positively affect each project's outcome. However, satisfying the conditions depends on the effort of singular project members, who are called focal points.
JICA plans and conducts projects using the project cycle management method. In this method, projects have three cycles: planning, operation and evaluation, all through a project design matrix called PDM. This paper discusses about the strong relationship between PDM and the activities of the focal points.
In order to satisfy the nine conditions for the gender aspect, a conscious gender perspective must be objectives, this writer suggests that JICA implement gender mainstreaming in all projects.

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The purpose of this study is to show an idea for sector-based ODA evaluation. The author examines what aid works, and what doesn't with the case study of Bangladesh.
ODA strategy is defined as long-term basic design of ODA project. It is critical for feasibility of the strategy that corroboration of resource allocation is incorporated in the design. Key of the strategy is to create good ideas for sectoral ODA allocation based on selection and focus, and for combination of ODA type as well. Recent investigations have demonstrated that accumulation of each project-based evaluation is not equivalent to ODA evaluation due to fungibility of project aid. In addition, project-based evaluation is usually concluded by itself. Accumulation of projectbased evaluation, that is to say, tactical level evaluation does not lead to strategic ODA evaluation. The author would like to emphasize that policy makers should make clear priority of each ODA sector in perspective at first. Then, select projects in each sector from the compound viewpoint.

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The author reflects on his 27 year history as an internal evaluator in a large government social service agency, with particular emphasis on how and why they began doing evaluation, the evolution of their evaluation methodology over time, the impact of external forces on that evolution, and some of the specific distinctions between their original approach and their more recent systems. A “lessons learned” discussion may have particular value to evaluators beginning their careers or moving into evaluation in government settings. Emphasis is placed on interpersonal skills and consensus-building, taking advantage of technology, and the growth in understanding that evaluation has become an expected part of service administration and management.

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