Evaluation as profession and practice Archives

Snippet: Dialogue evaluation for independent evaluation

February 15, 2018 Zenda Ofir 3

Many years ago, at the beginning of my evaluation career, I read about ‘dialogue evaluation’. It is a simple mechanism that we can use more frequently to mediate between an independent evaluation and self-evaluation – two distinct approaches that many ... Read more »

Snippet: Evaluation as Risk Management

February 13, 2018 Zenda Ofir 0

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 ... Read more »

Snippet: A useful new glossary for evaluators

February 9, 2018 Zenda Ofir 1

Definitions of terms are crucial for common understanding in any field of human endeavour. The diversity of actors entering and playing on the evaluation field is both an advantage and a disadvantage – including in the fact that we do ... Read more »

Updating the DAC Evaluation Criteria, Part 6: Concluding thoughts

Zenda Ofir 8

This final post about the DAC criteria captures key points for consideration in the evaluation for development space. It is also relevant for the interface between humanitarian work and development – an increasingly important area of work. Refined DAC criteria, ... Read more »

Snippet: Judging ‘success’. The example of capacity development

February 8, 2018 Zenda Ofir 7

How good are we at defining and judging ‘success’ – the essence of what evaluators do? Let us consider a pertinent example: Every year the aid industry spends a quarter of its funding, around US$15 billion, on ‘capacity development’ (CD). ... Read more »

Snippet: Evaluators in Davos – and DED

January 25, 2018 Zenda Ofir 2

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 ... Read more »

Snippet: Global Risks and Evaluation

January 23, 2018 Zenda Ofir 2

As the powerful gather in Davos this week, it is a good time to reflect on the WEF’s excellent Global Risks Report 2018. The report reminds us that as evaluators we have to engage with the larger context within which ... Read more »

Updating the DAC Evaluation Criteria, Part 5. Non-negotiable criteria

January 3, 2018 Zenda Ofir 28

It is ironic that evaluation has been unable to prevent – or even just sufficiently critique – some of the most damaging policies and strategies that have originated in both economically rich and poor countries. What should evaluators have done ... Read more »