EVALUATION REPORTS
Economic growth in the Philippines has been highly concentrated in the three largest metropolitan areas of Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao. This concentration has led to high population growth and congestion in these three cities, while also causing inequities and inequitable access to economic opportunities between the largest cities and secondary cities, and urban and rural areas. To address this problem, the USAID/Philippines SURGE activity, implemented by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), assisted secondary cities and adjacent rural areas to support inclusive and sustainable economic growth through effective planning, providing basic public services, reducing business transaction costs, promoting competitiveness, supporting sustainable development, and reducing disaster risks.
CLAimDev conducted a final performance evaluation of SURGE’s implementation in eight secondary cities using a mixed-methods approach, with a deeper analysis in four of the Cities Development Initiative (CDI) cities and a focused analysis of SURGE’s water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions. The evaluation parameters included relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability. The evaluation team used quantitative and qualitative tools for data collection and analysis, including a simple survey to gather feedback from a broad base of stakeholders. The qualitative tools included document reviews, key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), and case studies. The evaluation team interpreted qualitative data through content and thematic analysis and quantitative information through trend analysis. They used baseline data and final outputs and outcomes for comparative analysis.