The social sector is undergoing a major transformation. We are witnessing an explosion in efforts to deliver social change, a burgeoning impact investing industry, and an unprecedented intergenerational transfer of wealth. Yet we live in a world of rapidly rising inequality, where social sector services are unable to keep up with societal need, and governments are stretched beyond their means.
Alnoor Ebrahim addresses one of the fundamental dilemmas facing leaders as they navigate this uncertain terrain: performance measurement.
Chapter 4 uses WIEGO's Statistics Programme as a case study, and the author notes that while WIEGO cannot attribute improvements in the working conditions of informal workers to its statistical interventions (outcomes), it can reasonably claim to have "influenced" global and national public standards on measuring the informal sector (interim outcomes).
Alnoor Ebrahim is Professor of Management at Tufts University, where he has joint appointments at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and the Tisch College of Civic Life. His research addresses the challenges of performance management, governance, and accountability facing social enterprises, nonprofit organizations, international NGOs, and public agencies.