Evaluation of the Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector Programme

This document describes an evaluation of the Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector Challenge Fund (RAGS), a DFID initiative aimed at improving conditions for workers in the garment sector in India, Bangladesh, Lesotho, and Nepal. Conducted by Oxford Policy Management, the evaluation assessed the fund's relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability using OECD/DAC standards. The findings indicated partial success in achieving goals, with some positive impacts on working conditions and wages, but limited overall impact on the UK ethical garment sector. The evaluation faced methodological challenges, including ineffective monitoring and evaluation arrangements, which hindered the measurement of outcomes. Recommendations for future programming include better alignment with intended impacts, improved monitoring, and greater local stakeholder engagement. The evaluation concluded that while there were some improvements in productivity and worker conditions, the fund did not fully meet its targets and exhibited variations in success across projects and regions. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: Closed organisation: Department for International Development
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Impact evaluation; Process evaluation
• Impact methods: Theory-based methods
• Theory-based methods: Other
• Process methods: Individual interviews
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: April 2014

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes