The United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Bureau for Policy, Planning, and Learning's Office of Learning, Evaluation, and Research (PPL/LER) commissioned this study to help USAID determine the extent to which its evaluations are being used and what guidance, tools, or Agency practices might be improved to enhance evaluation utilization.

The data was compiled as part of the Evaluation Utilization Study completed in February 2016. The study was informed by three primary data sources: document review, survey research and interviews. Evaluation use was evident at several stages in the USAID Program Cycle. At the country level, 59 percent of approved strategies were found to have referenced USAID evaluations and 71 percent of evaluations were used to support and/or modify a USAID project or activity. The most common changes found were actions that refocus ongoing activities, including revisions to delivery mechanism work plans, extending activity timelines or expanding activity geographic areas. The study team concluded that USAID evaluation utilization practices are already strong and compare well to those of other US Government agencies examined in previous studies by the US Government Accountability Office.