Strengthening Evaluation Practice

Bulgaria’s Programme “Education”, funded through the European Social Fund Plus and the national budget, supports reforms designed to improve access, inclusiveness, quality and labour market relevance across the education sector. This report aims to help strengthen implementation and long-term impact by proposing ways to enhance evaluation practice across the Programme, generating constructive learning about what works in different contexts. Building on existing monitoring and operational systems, it provides a toolbox of measures for fund managers and beneficiaries. Drawing on document review, interviews and international examples, the report finds that while Programme “Education” has clear objectives and a well-established monitoring system, the expected causal links between activities, mechanisms and outcomes are not always explicit. Moreover, there is scope to strengthen learning during implementation by encouraging greater reflection among beneficiaries on what contributes to change, for whom, and under what conditions. Finally, although Bulgaria has rich administrative data, limitations in access and linkage can constrain more robust analysis of outcomes. The report proposes practical recommendations, including greater use of simple theories of change; indicators that better capture outputs, mechanisms and outcomes; improved access to administrative data; more learning-oriented implementation practices; and better conditions for rigorous evaluation where appropriate.