Christmas makes all of us slow down a bit. It is one of those times when people talk about truth. About light. About reflection. Not the loud kind of light. The quiet kind that helps you notice what you usually ignore.
This year, my Santa wish is a simple one.
I wish impact assessment in India meant what it used to.
I have spent more than twenty-five years working in research and evaluation. I have designed studies. Reviewed reports. Sat through long meetings explaining why results were not as good as expected. I have seen what serious impact assessment looks like. I have also seen how far we have moved away from it.
We changed the meaning without noticing#
There was a time when impact assessment made people uneasy.
Not because it was harsh. But because it was honest.
It asked questions like:
- Did this programme really change anything?
- Would the same thing have happened anyway?
- Who did we reach, and who did we miss?
- What failed?
Today, the same phrase is used very loosely.
We now call many things “impact assessment”:
- reports with nice layouts,
- dashboards with big numbers,
- quotes from beneficiaries,
- award write-ups,
- quick surveys done once.
None of these are wrong. But none of them answer the core question.
They describe activity.
They rarely explain change.
Comfort slowly took over#
Over time, CSR work has become more comfortable.
Many organisations are not looking for learning. They are looking for confirmation. They want to know that money was spent properly and that the story sounds positive.
I understand why. CSR teams are under pressure. Boards expect good news. Nobody likes talking about failure.
But impact assessment was never meant to be comfortable.
Good evaluation creates discomfort. It forces you to rethink. It sometimes tells you that something did not work. So, when comfort becomes the goal, authencity fades. And when authencity fades, learning stops.
What real impact assessment actually involves#
Real impact assessment is not complicated, but it is demanding.
It needs:
- a clear idea of how change is supposed to happen,
- some form of baseline or comparison,
- an effort to understand what would have happened without the programme,
- time to see whether change lasts,
- and honesty in reporting results.
Most of all, it needs independence.
An evaluator cannot promise positive findings.
An evaluator cannot be afraid of saying uncomfortable things.
Once that line is crossed, assessment turns into validation.
Now why this matters?#
This dilution is not just a technical issue. It has real consequences.
When weak studies are treated as impact:
- programmes that do not work get expanded,
- deep problems remain hidden,
- communities are reduced to numbers.
India spends a huge amount of money on CSR every year. Poor evidence does not just waste resources. It shapes the wrong decisions.
Impact assessment is not meant to decorate annual reports. It is meant to improve outcomes.
The serious work is usually quiet#
There is an irony here.
The people doing serious evaluation work are often the least visible.
They are not on stages.
They do not organise big events.
They do not guarantee success stories.
They spend time arguing over indicators. Questioning assumptions. Going back to the field. Telling funders things they may not like hearing.
This is the space I come from. It is also the space organisations like DevInsights continue to work in.
Here, impact assessment is treated as a responsibility. Not a product. Not a performance.
Credibility in this field is built slowly. Over years. By doing the work, not talking about it.
A pause before the next study#
Before commissioning the next impact study, I would ask CSR leaders to pause for a moment.
Ask yourself honestly:
Am I looking for reassurance, or for the truth?
- If it is reassurance, there are many easy ways to get it.
- If it is truth, then the study must be allowed to be independent. It must be allowed to ask difficult questions. And it must be allowed to report uncomfortable answers.
You cannot ask for honesty and then punish it. I really feel so.
My Santa wish#
So, this Christmas, my Santa wish is not fewer CSR award activities or lower commissioning of impact assessments.
It is this:
- that impact assessment is taken seriously again,
- that evidence matters more than visibility,
- that learning matters more than applause.
Impact assessment was never designed to make us feel good. It was designed to help us do better.
Clear Cut Research Desk
New Delhi, UPDATED: Dec 24, 2025 07:50 IST
Written By: Paresh Kumar
