Innovation and Learning in a Changing Asia: Highlights of the Evaluation Learning Event

By Independent Evaluation at the Asian Development Bank

To mark its 10th anniversary, Independent Evaluation at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) hosted a learning event from 9 to 10 September 2014. The event brought together thought leaders from different parts of the world to explore the vital links involving innovation, learning, and change in the context of development challenges facing Asia and the Pacific—inequality and environmental sustainability.

This ebook brings together the different views of our eminent panelists, along with good practices and lessons learned from within the development community, the corporate sector, and academia. We hope that readers will gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities in using evaluation as an instrument to promote organizational learning, innovation, and change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Independent Evaluation at the Asian Development Bank
• Release date: Nov 10, 2014

Independent Evaluation at the Asian Development Bank

The Independent Evaluation Department evaluates the policies, strategies, operations, and special concerns of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) relating to organizational and operational effectiveness. It contributes to development effectiveness by providing feedback on performance and through evaluation lessons.

Book preview

Foreword

To mark its 10th anniversary, Independent Evaluation at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) hosted a learning event from 9 to 10 September 2014. The event brought together thought leaders from different parts of the world to explore the vital links involving innovation, learning, and change in the context of development challenges facing Asia and the Pacific—inequality and environmental sustainability.

A recent study from Independent Evaluation highlighted that given the complexity of these challenges, innovation and risk taking in addressing them must be encouraged. Evaluation, while ensuring rigor, needs to reinforce this. For this reason, it is important that development practitioners (including from evaluation), policy makers, and representatives from the corporate sector and academia have opportunities to share lessons and successful approaches relating to topics like inclusive growth and jobs, climate change and disaster resilience, governance, knowledge sharing, and innovation.

Inclusion, Resilience, and Change The midterm review of Strategy 2020 provides ADB with a precious opportunity to draw on its vast experience over the first 5 years of the strategy's implementation.

This ebook brings together the different views of our eminent panelists, along with good practices and lessons learned from within the development community, the corporate sector, and academia. We hope that readers will gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities in using evaluation as an instrument to promote organizational learning, innovation, and change.

Vinod Thomas

Director General

Independent Evaluation at ADB

Innovation and Change in Asia

Eminent Speakers (Panel)

Takehiko Nakao

President, ADB

Sanjay Pradhan

Vice President, Leadership, Learning, and Innovation, World Bank Group

Alexia Latortue

Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Development Policy, US Treasury

Opening Remarks and Moderator

Vinod Thomas

Director General, Independent Evaluation at ADB

Key Messages

Innovation is a key accelerator in the fight to end poverty and the way to solve intractable problems.

Collaboration, learning, and innovation are central to development, particularly when finance is limited.

Leadership must set the example for innovation and knowledge sharing, along with introducing incentives and measures to support this shift in organizational culture.

Barriers within organizations and across development partners must be removed.

There would be no development without risk-taking.

Innovative approaches have many implications for the evaluation function, which must break new ground as well.

Asia’s remarkable economic progress in the past decades boosted the region’s share of global gross domestic product (in terms of purchasing power parity) from around 15% in the 1950s to