Nathalie Holvoet full professor

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Nathalie Holvoet (ORCID) holds a PhD in economics (University of Antwerp, 1999). Her main areas of expertise are ‘monitoring and evaluation’ and ‘gender and development’. 

Specific research topics/interest include:

Monitoring and evaluation:

  • use and influence of M&E
  • community based monitoring/citizen science
  • evaluability
  • M&E in context of different aid modalities
  • meta-evaluation of national, sector and local M&E systems
  • national evaluation societies/networks
  • accountable governance of public service delivery and natural resources
  • comparative analysis of different M&E arrangements (inside government/outside government/hybrid)
  • impact/sustainability of unconditional cash transfers 
  • alumni impact studies


Gender and development: macro and micro-perspectives

  • gender budgeting (national and local)
  • gender and different aid modalities
  • intrahousehold resource allocation and decision-making
  • gender & climate change (gender in NAPAs, gender and natural resource management)
  • gender & community based monitoring/citizen science 
  • gender & cash transfers ​


Education/Training/Community of Practice (CoP)

  • various courses in the IOB Advanced Master Programmes (mainly in MA Development Evaluation and Management). Courses include: basics of M&E (M&E policy, systems & methods); community based monitoring; M&E and national development policies, systems and aid; gender and development (micro+macro) and an optional course on 'gender & development' in the Interuniversity Gender & Diversity Master 
  • short term training programme on Evaluation Capacity Development with a focus on National Evaluation Societies & Networks
  • seminars/workshops on different M&E related topics (methods, topics, co-creation & ideas labs)
  • community of practice (CoP) on community based monitoring/citizen science - Communitor​


Externally financed research projects include:

  • one for all and all for one: an inquiry into social netwerk and collective action effects of cash transfers in rural Uganda (with dr. Dewachter and Filippo Grisolia)(UAntwerp research fund)
  • (mobile) community based water monitoring (Fuatilia Maji project in Tanzania)(with dr. Dewachter, Doreen Kyando, Mursali Milanzi, Christina Shitima and Frank Theodory) (Vlri-UOS institutonal development cooperation)
  • ​women water watch project (EU COESO citizen science project)​
  • alumni impact barometer  research (UAntwerp Global Minds)
  • localised M&E arrangements in Uganda, focus on water sector (with prof.dr. N. Molenaers, dr.  S. Dewachter & M. Kuppens)(FWO)
  • gender, intrahousehold allocation, climate change (case-study Tanzania) (with K. Van Aelst & prof. dr. A. Crabbé) (Uantwerp research fund)
  • accountable governance of public service delivery (case-study Tanzania) (Vlir-UOS institutional development cooperation with Mzumbe University
  • gender, intrahousehold time allocation and health status (case-study Uganda) (with prof.dr. V. Nyakato - Vlir-UOS South Initiative)
  • promoter of Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships project of dr. E. Lecoutere 'The impact of intrahousehold decison-making on sustainability, efficiency and equitability of household farming in sub-Saharan Africa (Uganda & Tanzania)
  • promoter of FWO post-doc project of dr. Dimitri Renmans 'To the Resq: combining realist synthesis and qualitative comparative analysis. Developing a theory of performance based financing'

 

Supervision of PhD research

Nathalie Holvoet currently (co) supervises 11 PhD trajectories, related to:

  • use/influence of CSO social accountability initiatives (Ghana case study – M. Gildemyn)(defended)
  • use/influence of district M&E (Vietnam case study – Ha Minh Tri)(defended)
  • climate adaptation, gender relations and intrahousehold allocation (Tanzania case study – K. Van Aelst)(defended)
  • impact study of local level gender budgeting on maternal health (Uganda case study- P. Bamanyaki)(defended)
  • an analysis of household development strategies  and their linkage to River Basin resource degradation (Tanzania case study – C. Shitima)(defended)
  • impact study of performance-based finance in the health sector (Uganda case study – D. Renmans)(defended)
  • pathways to disability inclusive community based monitoring and development (Uganda case study - L. Popelier)(defended)
  • community based monitoring (Tanzania case study - D. Kyando)
  • impact of  unconditional cash transfers (Uganda case study - F. Grisolia)
  • community based monitoring and citizen science (Uganda case study - S. Mwije) 

 

Policy advisory research & outreach

Nathalie Holvoet has a strong track record in policy research and policy advisory work, amongst others for the Belgian Directorate General for Development (O-platform aid effectiveness, BOS-PRSP with colleagues R. Renard, N. Molenaers and D. Cassimon), Belgian Technical Cooperation (Enabel), Europeaid, Council of Europe, ILO/ITC, UNDP, UNIFEM (UN-Women), Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has done research missions and policy advisory work in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Kenya and India and was involved in various evaluations (e.g. evaluability study, gender-sensitivity of Belgian development cooperation).

N. Holvoet is involved in various projects of university development cooperation, including the institutional collaboration with Mzumbe University (Tanzania), south initiative on gender & intrahousehold time allocation & health (Uganda), south initiative on gender & climate change (Ethiopia), IOB incremental funding & ICP DEM Connect with Mzumbe University (Tanzania), IUC Ardhi University (Tanzania), promoter of various ICP and VLADOC scholars.

She is a member of various professional organizations including the European Evaluation Society, International Development Evaluation Association, European Association of Development Research (co-convenor of the gender and development group) and Vlaams Evaluatieplatform (co-founding member).

 

Publications

She has published in various publication outlets, both nationally (in Dutch) and internationally. Publications include chapters in international peer-reviewed books, policy advisory reports, policy briefs and articles in international peer-reviewed journals (amongst others in Evaluation and Program Planning, Evaluation, The International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, World Development, Climate and Change, Journal of Modern African Studies, Development and Change, Feminist Economics, Development Policy Review, Violence against Women, Sustainability, Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, Water International, Journal of International Women’s Studies, Environmental Management, New Directives for Evaluation, Public Administration and Development, American Journal of Evaluation, Health Policy and Planning, Social Policy and Administration). For an overview of all publications, please see 'publications'.