Impact assessment and offical development assistance: Ethnographic research of the World Bank\u27s community-based rural development projects in Ghana

The purpose of this chapter are twofold: one, to explore the need for stronger links between and ex post and ex ante in Official Development Assistance (ODA) and; tow to argue for the ethnographic approach to impact assessment (IA) methods which we argue, provides a more nuanced, and context-specific capacity to highlight potential issues, and impacts, both positive and negative of ODA. Questions about capacity to highlight potential issues, and impacts, both positive and negative of ODA. Questions about the efficacy of ODA raises questions on the rigor and validity of the methods and tools used in assessing them before, during and after their implementation. This chapter provides insights on the usefulness of ethnography as a credible IA tool for understanding how ODA implementation impacts on the people and communities it is designed to help