External Evaluation, Strengthening Evidence-Based Policymaking in the Indo-Pacific Project

With support from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), The Asia Foundation is implementing a project spanning 3.5 years from September 2020 through March 2024. The project’s overall goal is to strengthen evidence-based policymaking in Asia and the Pacific. It will be supported through three inter-linked objectives: 1) Developing legislative research services and the capacity of legislators to undertake evidence-based policymaking; 2) Increasing representation of civil society voices in government decision-making at provincial and national levels; and 3) Encouraging a culture of learning and contestation within legislative bodies through high-quality research products and meaningful engagement with international models.

The Foundation will provide technical support and training for legislative staff and legislators at national and subnational levels. It will support collaboration between civil society and legislators on critical policy research and opportunities for networking between such actors to encourage the inclusion of a greater diversity of voices, especially women, in the policymaking process. The Asia Foundation will also organize regional and international events for learning to provide legislators with comparable policies and a deeper understanding of their legislative functions.

The evaluation will comprehensively assess the three-year Strengthening Evidence-Based Policymaking in the Indo-Pacific project. The evaluation will cover project activities and outcomes in selected provinces and national-level institutions in Laos and Sri Lanka. Geographic diversity will be considered to capture regional variations in the implementation and impact of the project. The assessment will span the entire three-year implementation period to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the project’s evolution, achievements, and challenges over time.

The evaluation is anticipated to commence on January 15, 2024, and conclude on March 5, 2024. This timeline is proposed as a guideline, and the evaluator or evaluation team is expected to work within this period.