Publikationen

Food insecurity and malnutrition remain a global challenge, with poverty being a main cause. Recent events with global repercussions, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, have created shock waves that disrupt global food trade and inflate prices worldwide. Regional conflicts and environmental megatrends exacerbate the fragility of food systems. In sub-Saharan Africa, droughts and armed conflicts are especially challenging. This study provides a synthesis of rigorous impact evaluations on the effectiveness of capacity strengthening interventions in the area of food security and nutrition with a regional focus on sub-Saharan Africa. 

• Executive Summary (PDF, 410 KB)  Barrierefrei
• Deutsche Zusammenfassung (PDF, 321 KB)  Barrierefrei
• Zusammenfassung in Leichter Sprache (PDF, 1.85 MB)  Barrierefrei

• Römling, C., A. Sting, L. Kunert and C. Wicke (2025), The Effects of Capacity Strengthening Interventions on Food Security and Nutrition. Evidence Synthesis of Development Cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa, German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval), Bonn.

This evaluation examines the BMZ’s support for sustainable reintegration in countries of origin for those returning from Germany between 2017 and 2023. The BMZ aimed to help returnees regain economic and social stability in their countries of origin, thereby ensuring that “returning leads to sustainable reintegration.” The objective of the evaluation is to retrospectively assess the measures commissioned by the BMZ to support the sustainable reintegration of returnees, thereby contributing to an evidence-based approach to policymaking in this field. The evaluation questions address the OECD DAC criteria of relevance, effectiveness, impact, sustainability and coherence, and refer to both the individual and institutional levels.

• Executive Summary (PDF, 824 KB)
• Deutsche Zusammenfassung (PDF, 752 KB)
• Résumé (Französisch) (PDF, 203 KB)
• BMZ Response

• Erler. J., L. Heller, L. Jechel, F. Leßke, G. Camacho Garland and M. Bruder (2025), Return and Reintegration. Evaluation of the BMZ’s Support to Promote Sustainable Reintegration of Returnees from Germany in Their Countries of Origin, German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval), Bonn.

This "real life" introduction to evaluating progress on the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is based on emerging country experience from North and South, as well as wider past learning on sustainable development evaluation. It is the second edition of a guidebook first published in 2020, now containing additional country experiences of SDG evaluations as well as two new chapters, one on initiating an SDG evaluation and one on using the results of SDG evaluations to inform and influence policy and decision-making as a path towards sustainable change. Rather than a one-size-fits-all manual, this guide seeks to support evaluation commissioners, managers and professional evaluators to create tailored plans and approaches to SDG evaluation. It argues that a successful evaluation must be both built around existing national context and underpinned by the principles of the 2030 Agenda.

• Evaluación liderada por los países para el logro de la Agenda 2030 y de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (PDF, 3.38 MB)

• Ocampo, A; N.-M. Heinonen, D. Hoffmann and T. Rossmueller (2025). Country-led Evaluation to Achieve the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs: A Guide for Evaluation Commissioners, Managers and Evaluators. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Development Evaluation Unit, Helsinki.

This guide introduces a practical tool called the Footprint Evaluation Typology. This tool helps evaluators and decision makers answer a critical question: How much is the project, program, or policy we are evaluating beneficial or harmful to the environment? As evaluators, one of our key responsibilities is to ensure our conclusions are not only valid but crystal clear, so that decision-makers can fully understand the severity of any actual or potential impacts on natural systems. That’s what allows them to manage the intervention to benefit both people and nature.

• Guía sobre la Tipología de Evaluación de la Huella Ecológica (PDF, 1.02 MB)

• Rowe, A., Davidson, E. J. & Chianca, T. K., with Warnholz, A. (2025), The Footprint Evaluation Typology Guide, EvalConnect (DEval), Footprint Evaluation Initiative.

Seit ihrem Entstehen wurden die Ziele und Relevanz der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit immer wieder kritisch hinterfragt – aktuell so stark wie selten zuvor. Doch auch wenn es verschiedener Reformen bedarf, ist sie weder obsolet noch in der Summe wirkungslos. Die Unterstützung ärmerer Länder bei der Bekämpfung von Hunger und Armut, durch Friedens- und Demokratieförderung sowie beim Klima- und Biodiversitätsschutz sind zentrale Ziele der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (EZ). Darüber hinaus ist EZ immer auch mehr oder weniger prononciert zur Verfolgung außenwirtschaftlicher und sicherheitspolitischer Interessen eingesetzt worden. Seit ihrem Entstehen in den 1950er und 1960er Jahren war die EZ nie unumstritten, sondern wurde immer wieder und von unterschiedlichen Seiten kritisiert. Aktuell werden die Ziele und die Relevanz der EZ hinterfragt wie kaum jemals zuvor. Doch ist EZ obsolet oder ihre Maßnahmen wirkungslos? In diesem Beitrag komme ich zu anderen Ergebnissen. Zunächst soll jedoch die Debatte um die EZ skizziert werden.

• Entwicklungszusammenarbeit. Strukturen, Wirksamkeit, Reformbedarf

• Faust, J. (2025): Entwicklungszusammenarbeit. Strukturen, Wirksamkeit, Reformbedarf, in: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte (APuZ).

The suspension of US foreign aid by President Trump in January 2025 marked a significant shock to the global aid ecosystem, raising critical questions about the behaviour of European official development assistance (ODA) donors as media coverage of the event and public opinion might affect political decision-making. Against this backdrop, we examine the German public’s opinion on the USAID shutdown and their preferences for Germany’s and the European Union’s aid policies. A rapid survey conducted in February–March 2025 shows that while Germans broadly view the Trump administration’s decision to freeze US aid negatively, expressing particular concern about its impact on humanitarian issues, a substantial majority prefers no change to Germany’s foreign aid policy. Our analysis indicates that political ideology, populist attitudes and trust in the German federal government significantly shape whether individuals view the shutdown favourably and whether they support either mimicking US aid cuts or stepping in to fill the gap.

• Sage Journals: Political Science Association

• Schneider, S. H., A. B. Bayram, A. Gödderz and H. Zille (2025), Neither Mimicry nor Substitution but Business as Usual: German Aid Attitudes in the Wake of the USAID Shutdown. Politics, 0(0).