This paper synthesises evidence on 23 communitydriven development programmes. It combines narrative synthesis and meta-analysis to examine the impact of these programmes along their causal chain. It summarises the main findings of a longer technical report available on the 3ie website. The content of this paper is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not represent the opinions of 3ie, its donors or its board of commissioners. Any errors and omissions are also the sole responsibility of the authors. Please direct any comments or queries to the corresponding author, Howard White, hwhite@campbellcollaboration.org. 3ie receives funding for the working paper series from 3ie’s donors, which include UK aid, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. A complete listing of 3ie’s donors is on the 3ie website.