Evaluation: definitions, approaches and questions
4.1 Highlights
Highlights
- Evaluation definitions: There are many definitions of evaluation, and these tend to evolve over time and vary depending on the authors and the changing role of evaluation.
- Evaluation in the 21st century: Evaluation can be defined as an engaging process that combines different, complementary inquiry approaches to support decision-making while contributing to sense-making, value creation, positive ecosystems, and social change.
- Purpose: Evaluation provides valuable information at all stages of the policy cycle, from analyzing needs to designing the intervention, supporting its implementation, and determining if it should be continued.
- Evaluation questions: Evaluation can focus on analyzing the relationships between the context, resources, activities, and results, or, through monitoring, it can provide information on each of these elements.
- Bricolage: In the Anthropocene and post-truth era, a bricolage approach to evaluation may be necessary to navigate complex and uncertain contexts.
- Coherence: Coherence is crucial when designing an evaluation project. It involves aligning the evaluation questions, design, and methods.
