Health Systems Strengthening Practice Spotlight: Contribution Analysis

The Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Practice Spotlight series is an initiative of USAID’s Office of Health Systems. Practice Spotlight briefs discuss specific health systems strengthening approaches and how they were successfully applied in USAID-supported or other HSS program settings. By documenting approaches that work, Practice Spotlight briefs can inform strategic planning, program design, and implementation in the HSS space. The briefs support USAID’s Vision for Health System Strengthening 2030 and the accompanying Health System Strengthening Learning Agenda.

This Practice Spotlight brief describes contribution analysis, a monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning approach well-suited for examining the effects of HSS interventions conducted in complex environments, where the causes of change are multifaceted and difficult to trace. The brief presents use cases from projects that have used the approach, along with key lessons and recommendations for applying the approach.