Huella: Measuring the impact of development projects
Date issued
Jan 2025
HUELLA, an innovative methodology developed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), represents a paradigm shift in evaluating development project impacts. By integrating advanced tools such as satellite imagery and leveraging a quasi-experimental design, HUELLA offers precise and scalable assessments of the cumulative effects of multiple projects at granular, subnational levels.
HUELLA focuses on the impact that IDB projects have in the locations where they are implemented. It systematically compares communities that receive IDB financing against similar ones that did not, evaluating whether IDB interventions make a lasting difference. The methodology overcomes traditional evaluation limitations by providing near real-time insights and incorporating non-traditional indicators like environmental and economic growth outcomes, enabling a more comprehensive impact analysis.
Applications in Mexico and Costa Rica demonstrate its effectiveness, revealing positive outcomes such as economic growth and reduced crime rates, with no significant increase in pollution levels. However, the results underscore the importance of sustainably managing environmental trade-offs.
By complementing traditional evaluation frameworks, HUELLA enhances evidence-based decision-making, transparency, and stakeholder trust, establishing itself as a transformative tool in development impact assessment. The methodologys scalability and adaptability position it as a cornerstone of IDBs long-term strategy to drive informed, impactful community development.
HUELLA focuses on the impact that IDB projects have in the locations where they are implemented. It systematically compares communities that receive IDB financing against similar ones that did not, evaluating whether IDB interventions make a lasting difference. The methodology overcomes traditional evaluation limitations by providing near real-time insights and incorporating non-traditional indicators like environmental and economic growth outcomes, enabling a more comprehensive impact analysis.
Applications in Mexico and Costa Rica demonstrate its effectiveness, revealing positive outcomes such as economic growth and reduced crime rates, with no significant increase in pollution levels. However, the results underscore the importance of sustainably managing environmental trade-offs.
By complementing traditional evaluation frameworks, HUELLA enhances evidence-based decision-making, transparency, and stakeholder trust, establishing itself as a transformative tool in development impact assessment. The methodologys scalability and adaptability position it as a cornerstone of IDBs long-term strategy to drive informed, impactful community development.
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