Taking Stock of Contribution Analysis: Reflecting on the Past to Inform the Future

Over the past two decades, contribution analysis (CA) has attracted considerable attention as a theory-based evaluation approach. Over the years, CA has been applied across a broad and still broadening range of settings and contexts. Informed by a comprehensive review of published articles on CA, this article examines the main methodological and theoretical developments of CA. The findings suggest that developments over the past 10 years have focused on methodological improvements and explication of the theoretical foundation for making contribution claims. The authors suggest avenues for further development of CA, including broadening the empirical base of CA applications and developing quality standards for CA.