Social Impact Measurement
Andrea Nelson Trice, PhD
Senior Associate
National Institute for Social Impact
Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
Location: Room 104
Abstract Information: As we continue to pursue decolonization, more Majority World leaders are now sitting at the table, making decisions with Western leaders about how development programs will proceed and who will lead the work. But often decisions about what outcomes will matter still reside with those who control the funds. This presentation explores the stories of 90 leaders who are involved in international development work, 45 from Majority World countries and 45 from the West. Differences in Majority World and Western perceptions of the outcomes that truly matter, and the cultural values that underly these beliefs form the core of this presentation.
Two key themes emerged from the stories related to impact measurement. First, according to Majority World leaders, empowerment is crucial to measure. They operationalized this to include proximity of leaders to the people of focus, use of local resources, regular training on topics of value to the people of focus, and regular feedback from them. Paths to empowerment that require significant time – building trust with community leaders, using word-of-mouth to attract people to the work, tapping the social capital of local organizations – were also described as key elements to measure according to enterprise leaders.
This session will explore how both Majority World and Western stories brought to light important, culturally-bound assumptions that influence how impact is conceptualized and measured. The session will also include time to grapple together with how we are measuring impact today, even as we continue to decolonize.