Ci & Tróp. Recife, v. 43, n. ed. especial, p.185-202, 2019 185 Slum upgrading in Brazil: lessons from evaluation processes Mejoramiento de asentamientos precarios en Brasil: qué se puede aprender de los procesos de evaluación Urbanização de assentamentos precários no Brasil: o aprendizado dos processos de avaliação Renato Balbim 1 Cleandro Krause 2 Abstract BALBIM, Renato; KRAUSE, Cleandro. Slum upgrading in Brazil: lessons from evaluation processes. Revista C&Trópico, v. 43, special edition, p. 185-202, 2019. DOI: 10.33148/ CeTrópico_v.43n. esp(2019)p.177-195 Slum population has had a relative decrease during the 21st century in Brazil. Beginning in the 1990’s, the Brazilian public policy towards slums has been no- table, both at national and local levels. Nevertheless, priority has been given to improvement works, evaluation of their results has been a neglected aspect, and a knowledge gap between investments and their impacts has broadened. This paper aims at summarizing the contributions of researchers at the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), who conducted slum-upgrading evaluations from 2009 until 2014. They comprise methodologies and procedures for a meta-evaluation of intervention projects as a means to improving programs; a logical model for the evaluation of the intervention in one of the largest favelas in the country; an evaluation guideline proposal for a nationwide precarious settlements urbanization program; and relevant findings of the focus group technique as a qualitative resear- ch method. The paper seeks to publicize the results achieved in an effort to advise governments and improve their policies; to foster discussion on tailored evaluation methodologies; to contribute critically with international development agencies; and to reinforce the exercise of citizenship through evaluation practices, transpa- rency, and accountability. Keywords: slum upgrading. Public policy evaluation. Meta-evaluation. Logic model. Evaluation indicators. Brazil. 1 PhD in Human Geography. Lecture Professor and Visiting Research at University of California Irvine – Depart- ment of Urban Planning and Public Policy. Researcher at the Brazilian Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) (2009-2018). renatobalbim@gmail.com Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-7078 2 PhD in Urban and Regional Planning. Researcher at the Brazilian Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) since 2009. cleandro.krause@ipea.gov.br. Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9118-3698