The Financial Regulation establishes a framework which applies to all EC policies. This framework has been translated into evaluation guidelines and a glossary issued by the Directorate General Budget.
Both OECD and EC definitions should be regarded as equally legitimate in the context of EC external assistance evaluation. An in-depth comparison has been undertaken with the result that:
| almost all terms are defined consistently |
Only four couples of definitions are different enough to raise significant risks of misunderstanding:
Risks of misunderstanding (four terms)
|
| |
OECD
|
EC
|
| Impact |
long term effects produced by a development intervention
|
A general term used to describe the effects of an intervention on society
|
| Outcome |
The likely or achieved short-term and medium-term effects of an intervention's outputs. |
The longer-term impact usually expressed in terms of broad socio-economic consequences |
| Result |
The output, outcome or impact (intended or unintended, positive and/or negative) of a development intervention. |
The initial impact of an intervention
|
| Efficiency |
A measure of how economically resources/inputs (funds, expertise, time, etc.) are converted to results
(considering OECD's definition of results, efficiency may relate to outputs or to any level of effect) |
The extent to which the desired effects are achieved at a reasonable cost
(a definition which does not cover outputs) |
Options taken
|
| |
Basic glossary
|
Definition
|
| Impact |
OECD |
long term effects produced by a development intervention
|
| Outcome |
the term has been neither used nor defined
|
| Result |
EC |
The initial impact of an intervention
|
| Efficiency |
Merged (based on OECD) |
The extent to which outputs and/or the desired effects are achieved with the lowest possible use of resources/inputs (funds, expertise, time, admin-istrative costs, etc.) |
Intervention logic: key concepts compared
|
| Level |
These guidelines |
OECD
DAC |
EC Financial
Regulation |
| 1 |
Output |
Effect |
Output |
Result |
Output |
| 2 |
Result |
Out-
come |
Result |
Impact |
| 3 |
Impact |
Impact |
Out-
come |
| 1 |
Good and / or service produced / delivered by the intervention (e.g. rehabilitated road) |
| 2 |
Initial change attributable to the intervention (e.g. reduced transport time and cost). |
| 3 |
Further long term change attributable to the intervention (e.g. development of trade) |
In other publications issued by the EC, the term results can be used in the wider sense, as defined by OECD-DAC, e.g. Result-Oriented Monitoring