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Despite the increased attention of evaluation theorists and practitioners on theory-based evaluation, there is still no agreement regarding how to apply this evaluation approach in practice. In order to further advance the application of theory-based evaluation, the article elaborates a specific causal model for the in-depth evaluation of capacity-building interventions supported by the European Social Fund. This model of program outcomes is used to make a contribution claim: that better results of one set of performance management projects can be explained by their better design and more favorable conditions for their implementation compared to other similar projects. The article suggests setting some specific conditionalities -such as assessing the organizational maturity of potential beneficiaries and improving their project management systems before the start of project execution -to improve the implementation of future capacitybuilding interventions.

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This article analyses the inputs, decisions, outputs and outcomes of fiscal consolidation and structural reforms undertaken by the Lithuanian authorities in the period 2008–2012. Our research was based on desk research, which was supplemented by interviews with government decision-makers. The article found that Lithuania successfully pursued fiscal consolidation, which contributed to stabilising its economy and public finances. If economic factors largely explain the timing of fiscal consolidation decisions, political factors are more powerful in accounting for the expenditure-led nature of fiscal consolidation in Lithuania. However, despite bold and ambitious plans, Lithuania's structural reforms proved to be fragmented and incremental due to the absence of a stable base of political support, sustained political attention and persistent political leadership. Points for practitioners First, Lithuania's experience shows the importance of previous policies and the constraints that they impose throughout crises when the speed of decision-making is crucial. Second, it illustrates that an external shock and a reform programme are not sufficient conditions for successful implementation – coalition politics and institutional resistance can derail some initial plans. Third, it demonstrates that even countries that successfully executed a large-scale fiscal consolidation programme may fail to seize the ‘windows of opportunity’ offered by the financial crisis to implement long-term structural reforms.

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