8. Conclusion
Evaluating UCP and social exclusion interventions is a complex task which involves inherent challenges, potentially including a lack of administrative performance information combined with high levels of complexity, uncertainty and change. The theoretical overview and case study analysis provided in this paper show that management and evaluators can overcome inherent challenges associated with evaluations of UCP and other social exclusion interventions, as long as oft-neglected dimensions are systematically targeted and the evaluation approach is adapted to the needs and characteristics of the program environment (including managerial demands). Normally, such evaluations should address four units of analysis (individuals, specific communities, partners, and the network itself), which should be targeted as individual (and interdependent) actors. The case study demonstrates that this can be done effectively, combining ex-ante, process and ex-post evaluations, for both improvement and accountability requirements. In particular, the paper shows how the choice between actor-and program-oriented theories of change, or some combination of the two, can enhance the flexibility of the evaluation and adapt it to changing levels of complexity. Equally important, it shows how network analysis can be used to scrutinize interdependencies and mutual influences among program actors, thereby enabling the evaluation of causal chains and the contribution of activities to results.
