Safe and Inclusive Cities Final Evaluation

Universalia was recently contracted by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) to conduct a final evaluation of the Safe and Inclusive Cities (SAIC) program. Financed jointly by IDRC and DfID, SAIC’s primary objective is to document the linkages between urban violence, poverty, and inequalities by providing funding and support to researchers from the Global South working toward reducing urban violence. In addition, it aims to disseminate research findings to policy makers with a view to influence policies aimed at reducing urban violence. SAIC funded fifteen research projects exploring the connection between urban violence, poverty and inequalities in 40 cities and 16 countries across Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The evaluation assesses the program’s relevance and effectiveness, as well as its efficiency and value for money. In addition to assessing traditional evaluation criteria, the evaluation also examines research quality including its positioning for use. The methods used for this evaluation include a portfolio review of all fifteen projects and semi-structured interviews with DfID and IDRC staff, research teams, and research users. The findings of the evaluation will be disseminated at a closing conference on Safe and Inclusive Cities in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2017. Date: February-July 2017