European Commission

Facts about the condition or performance of subjects prior to treatment. The essential result of the pre-test part of the pre-test/post-test approach. Gathering baseline data is one of the key reasons for starting an evaluation before a program starts, something that always seems odd to budgetary bureaucrats. (Scriven M., Evaluation Thesaurus)

Qualitative and quantitative standard for comparison of the performance of an intervention. Such a standard will often be the best in the same domain of intervention or in a related domain. Benchmarking is facilitated when, at the national or regional level, there is comparative information of good and not so good practice. The term benchmarking is also used to refer to the comparison of contextual conditions between territories.

Person or organisation directly affected by the intervention whether intended or unintended. Some people may be beneficiaries without necessarily belonging to the group targeted by the intervention. Similarly, the entire eligible group does not necessarily consist of beneficiaries.