Позитивные изменения. Том 2, № 3 (2022). Positive changes. Volume 2, Issue 3 (2022)

Based on the reviewed sources, it is possible to isolate the unchangeable elements of the theory of change and add to them the elements of assessment and involvement, adapted to the Russian context. This is how the “Theory of Positive Change” developed by the Factory[33] came about, which can be distinguished from other approaches to creating a theory of change. The advantage of this approach is that it emphasizes the conditions and assumptions, which results in a theory of change rather than a logical model. Indicators of elements in the results map are an indispensable element of the Theory of Positive Change: not only do they allow you to clarify the subject of social change, but also to build the necessary channels of communication with target audiences, which is necessary for their involvement. Complementing the traditional approach, the Theory of Positive Change includes two additional blocks for calculating the index of evidence and the index of validity. The first indicates the properties of the monitoring and evaluation model, the second describes the sources of justification for judgments about the planned changes. In addition, the model is supplemented by economic calculations — current liquidity, financial stability and profitability of sales for projects that involve a mechanism of financial sustainability through the sale of goods/services (i.e. social entrepreneurship).

The phrase “positive change” in the name of the approach refers to the notion of impact as a social change resulting from a development project. The Theory of Positive Change uses accepted vocabulary in Russia (for example, from the Presidential Grants Fund’s Grant Application Rules[34] and the aforementioned Standard for Evidence-Based Social Practices) and constructs it as elements of Theory of Positive Change, which are taken in particular from the manual “Theory of Change in Ten Steps” by James Noble (2019) and publications by John Mayne (2006). Currently, the Theory of Positive Change is included in the model for evaluating social enterprise projects, which is planned for implementation by the Social Projects Support Fund, a federal structure that develops the environment for social projects and social entrepreneurship in Russia.

The Theory of Positive Change consists of two blocks. The first is a problem tree describing the current situation, the target audience, and the target audience’s problem in the context of the situation that requires positive change. The second block is a positive change map — an outline of project results, aligned with the chain of social results from activities through outcomes and effects toward the social impact as the final destination point.

PROBLEM TREE

• The situation is characterized by objective indicators based on verified data sources, specifying geographic and temporal dimensions.

• Target audiences are described similarly, with specific characteristics and qualities that make that audience special. As stakeholder engagement practices, a communication channel should be prescribed to gather feedback for each target audience — this is important for defining project goals, visualize impact, and social change indicators.

• A problem is a part of reality that is to be changed by the project, which is formulated as detailed definition of the project framework (temporal, geographical and socio-demographic).

• The causes of the problem are the link between the problem and the social effects that the project is supposed to achieve. The problem is assumed to be a sufficiently abstract category, which can be detailed through the consideration of its causes to be addressed.

POSITIVE CHANGE MAP

The Positive Change Map consists of a bottom-up chain of results that will positively change the problem situation and a specific part of the target audience’s life.

Each link in the chain of results, as required by the standard for evidence-based social practices, is accompanied by indicators — an objective indicator of the degree of achievement of the stated goal. Transitions from outcomes to social effects and from social effects to social impact require justification — what specific materials justify the assumption that causality works in this specific way. Conditions and assumptions are also a must for every element of the positive change map. They describe under what circumstances the specified causal relationship is assumed.

• An activity is the very beginning of the social impact chain, what the project does, its activities.

• Immediate results are what the activity is aimed at. It is worth noting that performing an activity is not in itself a result. Conducting an event is not the result of the event, but simply an indicator of the activity. The results are the new qualities acquired by the target audience as a result of the activity.