Value of Evaluation

Why does evaluation matter, to whom, when and where? Posts here make the case for new perspectives on evaluation’s value proposition, its purpose and position in the world, the assumptions that underlie the field, and its potential to contribute to accountability, learning, justice and better decision-making in this new polycrisis era of turbulence, complexity and uncertainty — while confronting where the field falls short.

Evaluation as risk management

Evaluation as Practice

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Evaluators' power and influence are limited. There are several reasons for this situation. One relates to how our craft is framed. We are used to 'selling' evaluation/M&E as serving accountability, decision-making, learning and knowledge generation. Yet evaluation is still frequently perceived as something

Evaluators in Davos

Titbits and Snippets

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There are no evaluators this week in Davos. We are clearly not among the most powerful in the world. Yet I have always hoped that the very nature of our practice would enable us to contribute significantly and visibly to solving our day to day development challenges, as well as

The DAC criteria, Part 10. Sleepwalking towards irrelevance

Transformation-Focused Evaluation

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We are sleepwalking towards irrelevance. Not because we do not do some worthwhile things. We do. But because those with power - and evaluation professionals in general - appear to be unaware or unmoved by much of what is important in the time in which we now live. We fail to evolve

Evaluation and the SDGs, Part 1

The Big Picture

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Here is a concise and useful (I hope!) briefing by EVALSDGs on the value proposition of evaluation for the SDG era. In my previous post I highlighted the first "Call to Action" that flowed from my analysis of lessons for the global evaluation community based on MDG experiences.

Valuing Evaluation, Part 3

Evaluation as Practice

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No, I don't equate evaluation with toilet paper made of gold - even if it costs a cool US$1.3 million. (I know, this is definitely fodder for jokes). But I want to use the image to make a serious point: that evaluation was neglected during the MDG

Oh for the Love of Sticky Notes! The Changing Role of Evaluators Who Work with Foundations.

Guest Bloggers

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Julia Coffman is one of our best-known evaluation leaders working primarily with foundations. I always think of her as innovative, energetic and a consummate professional. She gave me permission to highlight and link to her very timely and important Medium post here: Who are we really as 'evaluators&

Seven lessons for the SDG era

Power and Agency

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Evaluation is entering an exciting period - one that will challenge us all to think in new ways and to focus on new things. This blog post is the first in a series aimed at highlighting some of the most interesting considerations for evaluation in an era where the Sustainable Development

Valuing evaluation and elevator pitches - Part 2

Evaluation as Practice

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What? Evaluation is not popular? We know that evaluation can be very valuable. We continue to emphasise its role in "decision-making", "improving interventions", "accountability", "knowledge generation", "planning", "budgeting", "advocacy" - and for "learning" about

Valuing evaluation and elevator pitches - Part 1

Evaluation as Practice

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We need to get much better at "selling" evaluation (the "E" in "M&E"). This is important especially in the Global South, where evaluation may be particularly valuable in helping those with little hope for a better life. Perhaps this means that we

Evaluation – a Beautiful Practice

Evaluation as Practice

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Is evaluation beautiful? This post argues that evaluation as profession and practice is intrinsically beautiful — rooted in millennia, engaging our deepest capabilities. But how we practise it is often not. A meditation on evaluation’s true value proposition.