ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the practical applications of the technologies described in Chapter 2, specifically their role in promoting social equity through sophisticated program evaluations. The first section defines big data, data analytics, and data science. The second section then discusses how big data and data science can strengthen evaluation, and how artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming evaluation, making it possible to harvest and repurpose huge volumes of administrative data. The third section discusses what evaluation can bring to the table, focusing on causal modeling and precision analytics. The fourth section then describes new applications of big data, including greater ability to evaluate complex development programs.
