Research
Interventions based on rigorous research accelerate development.
Research is the core activity of INSAD.
Generating information with the strictest rigor, in order for it to be really reliable, is the main concern that gave rise to INSAD. Our knowledge of the scope and limitations of the diverse sources of information allows us also to execute highly coherent documentary research projects.
This experience in research methods and analysis of information quality, coupled with the history of many of our researchers in conducting programs and projects, provide INSAD with a solid base for its activities evaluation, planning and technical assistance and trainning.
We have multiple examples of important projects in the field of social research that we have carried out for organizations with very demanding standards.
- Random sample surveys: INSAD researchers have over 30 years experience in the design and execution of DHS (Demographic and Health Surveys), which are renowned for the rigor and attention to detail required to ensure the validity of results. This type of survey guarantees a precise collection of data that allows truly valid statistical inferences to be made about the study population. They are carried out in:
- homes
- health units
- educational centers
- other establishments (businesses, pharmacies)
Most of the surveys are conducted by way of face to face interviews, but we also use questionnaires that are completed at home, online, or over the telephone.
- Qualitative Research: Qualitative studies can help generate hypotheses and contribute to the search for explanations of social phenomena and behaviors, helping to expand research on people’s beliefs and opinions, attitudes and practices. We use tools such as:
- focus groups
- in-depth interviews
- direct observations and community visits, among other ethnographic research techniques
- simulated users
- Documentary research: We find, analyze and systematize already existing information, in accordance with the objectives of each project.
Evaluation
INSAD is characterized by its experience in evaluation. Most of our projects fall in this field, from monitoring processes in smaller projects, to impact evaluations of national programs.
For external evaluations we take care of the whole process, from designing the monitoring and evaluation plan, to creating indicators, instrument design, logistical organization, data collection, systematization, analysis, and reporting and recommendations, in line with the objectives of each project.
We also conduct participatory assessments, where the staff are involved in the design and implementation of the actions. Within this category, we attach special importance to “developmental evaluation”, developmental evaluation, in which the evaluator becomes a partner in the implementation, providing continuous feedback on the progress and results detected during implementation of the project or program. The goal is to support decision-making based on evidence, as to the course of the project or even to make adjustments to the design of a theory of change or working structure. This type of assessment facilitates the integration of the implementation into a process of continuous learning and improvement.
Of the many different examples of evaluation projects, it is of note that INSAD has made over 30 evaluations of federal programs in accordance with the guidelines issued since 2007 by the National Council for Evaluation of Social Development Policy (CONEVAL), the Ministry of Finance (SHCP) and the Ministry of Public Administration (SFP). We have conducted evaluations of: design, consistency and results, performance specifics, process, and impact. We have also supported several federal agencies in drawing up tables of Indicators for Results (MIR) of its programs, using the Logical Framework Methodology. We have also developed other large projects in this field, such as the Comprehensive Assessment of Dependencies of Federal Public Administration Associated with Social Development 2011-2012, or the Analysis of the Links of the Millennium Goals with Social Planning and Budgeting.
Along the same lines, it is of note that INSAD pioneered the external evaluation of the performance of federal funding in different states: Since 2012, we have carried out projects for the governments of the states of Tlaxcala, Querétaro, Tabasco and Zacatecas.
Design and planning
Our starting point for design and planning is always the search for evidence about what works and what does not work: lessons learned and best practices.
The INSAD team is made up of researchers who have extensive experience in the public sector, particularly in social development policy, as well as development agencies and foundations. These individual careers converge to enhance the capabilities required for the design of public programs and civil society organization projects.
We support planning processes and program development for government agencies at the federal, state and municipal levels. Among relevant examples in this field, it is worth highlighting the recent support given by INSAD to the National Women’s Institute for the design of the National Strategy for the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy, which was assimilated and issued by the Mexican government in February 2015.
We have also supported in the elaboration of the Rules of Operation for federal programs.
In addition to integrated programs, INSAD collaborates with government agencies in designing specific components of their programs, whether these are actions, strategies, or tools to improve implementation.
Similarly, we offer civil society organizations support in defining priorities and organizational objectives, as well as the approach foundations with its proposals. We also work with their. strategic planning processes.
Technical assistance and training
INSAD provides technical assistance and training in monitoring, evaluation, and planning to both civil society organizations (CSOs) and governmental institutions.
Capacity building of CSO´s is a central interest of INSAD: we are convinced that it is a direct route to accelerating social development. This is why at INSAD we have a specific area dedicated to strengthening CSOs and foundations. We offer courses and workshops and, above all, personalized support for the preparation of project proposals, design of evaluation schemes, development of indicators, design of instruments, etc. We give support to organizations that focus their work on very different topics: environment, health, education, human rights, and community development, among others. We have worked with over 150 organizations from Mexico and Latin America
We work with private foundations to provide technical assistance to grantee organizations, and also to support their internal processes in terms of elaborating chains of changes, the evaluation of progress in their lines of work, and reporting systems between grantees and central office, among others. We have worked with private foundations in Mexico, the US and the UK.
At INSAD we also provide training and technical assistance to government institutions on monitoring, evaluation and, especially, in the Logical Framework Methodology. INSAD has extensive experience in the use of this methodology, as we have applied it to OSCs for 15 years. In addition, since signing up in 2007 to the guidelines of CONEVAL, the SHCP and the SFP for evaluating federal programs, INSAD staff have participated in many courses offered by these institutions, as well as by the Latin American and Caribbean Institute of Economic and Social Planning (ILPES).
INSAD researchers conducted an extended visit to Santiago de Chile and Bogota, Colombia, to analyze the experience of government departments and international cooperation agencies in the use of the Logical Framework Methodology and related evaluation methods, in these two countries that were pioneers in its implementation in Latin America in the second half of the 1990s.
From this base, and coupled with the experience of more than 30 evaluation projects based on these guidelines, INSAD has conducted technical assistance and training activities for federal, state and even municipal bodies. Among examples of projects in this field at the state level, we might highlight training on ‘Results-Based Budget and the Logical Framework Methodology’ to auditors of the tax authorities of ten Mexican states, at the request of the Superior Audit of the Federation (ASF). An example at the municipal level is training on ‘Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of Municipal Programs based on indicators for Results’ for the local authority of the municipality of Metepec, Mexico state.
