ISSN (Online): 2350-0530 International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH ISSN (Print): 2394-3629 July 2020, Vol 8(07), 279 – 297 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v8.i7.2020.727 © 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 279 THEORIES OF CHANGE IN THE PROCESS OF RURAL TRANSFORMATION: A REFINED WAY FORWARD Dr. V. Rengarajan 1 , Dr. K. Sivasubramaniyan 2 1 Senior Consultant, Madras Institute of Development Studies MIDS, Chennai, India 2 Professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), Chennai, India DOI: https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v8.i7.2020.727 Article Type: Research Article Article Citation: Dr. V. Rengarajan, and Dr. K. Sivasubramaniyan. (2020). THEORIES OF CHANGE IN THE PROCESS OF RURAL TRANSFORMATION: A REFINED WAY FORWARD. International Journal of Research - GRANTHAALAYAH, 8(7), 279-297. https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaa layah.v8.i7.2020.727 Received Date: 13 July 2020 Accepted Date: 31 July 2020 Keywords: Theory of Change Causal Path Process Monitoring Impact Evaluation ABSTRACT Theory of change has been a useful evaluation tool for social science research. The interest in its use has been notable in recent years amongst international aid organisations and public authorities who make huge investment in social oriented intervention with more focus on the challenges related to gender empowerment and poverty cure in rural area. Logically, the achievement of intended change (impact) matters. In this context, the emerging question is: 'How are we getting a candid profile of change after the project implementation? The sources of data for analysis are taken from evaluation reports of Programme Evaluation Organisation, Planning Commission, Government of India. Among the convolutions, found in the theory of change the important one is that the monitoring system does not extend beyond output level in the causal path revealing only impaired impact confining to the physical achievement vs target. This apart, there is no process monitoring of implementation and mid-course corrections. The paper suggests a slew of critical constituents for the refined theory of change which include: (a) process monitoring; (b) result based monitoring and evaluation (c) transparent outcome and the impact; and (d) human behaviour. 1. INTRODUCTION PREMISE In the context of implementation of a plethora of multifaceted development interventions driven by the Central and State governments, Multi-national financial institutions like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, private donor and funding agencies in developing countries ushering in a transformation in rural arena, a number of strategic activities with mission mode, invested with multiple process have been initiated for bringing intended outcome and impact contextually in the given region or community of people. In India, the examples of rural development programmes included (1) Food for Work Program-1977, (2) Integrated Rural Development Programme-1979 (IRDP), (3) Tamil Nadu Women Development Project-2000 (Mahalir Thittam), (4) Tamil Nadu Empowerment and Poverty Reduction Project (TNEPRP –also called Pudhu Vazhvu Project-2005 (PVP), (5) Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission (TNSRLM) and (6) National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM 2005-2011). All these programmes have impacted among others, with some tangible and intangible changes in rural ecosystem in the form of creation of social capital (community owned institutions in the form of SHG) in particular facilitating