Programmes form the key operational components of any social sector organisation and programme evaluation is critical for designing and operating effective programmes. By enabling organisation to track programmes on the ground, evaluation produces feedback that can improve accountability as well as decision-making regarding future programmes in the larger policy cycle. The course begins by situating evaluation within the larger framework of programme design, planning and implementation, and critically looks at the theory of change underlying it. It tries to connect the programme theory, governed largely by the organisational strategy, to the theory of action and helps build a monitoring and evaluation plan within the larger framework of the theory of change. The course begins by laying down the foundations of programme evaluation. It highlights the nuances of external versus internal evaluation, where the latter has a strong connect with the organisational strategy, whereas the former is largely grounded in the theory of change on the programme. This distinction between internal and external evaluation also defines the scope of the evaluation. The course then explores the techniques of impact evaluation – estimating outcome traceable to the action and introduces the students to different methods of evaluation by covering relevant experimental & quasi-experimental causal design methodologies and their critiques, as well as (qualitative & quantitative) methods of data collection & analysis. The students will also get an exposure to participatory evaluation methods and social audits.