Valuing evaluation, Part 3
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 …
For the love of sticky notes
I decided to cross-post this Medium blog post by Julia Coffman of the Center of Evaluation Innovation because of its humorous yet very astute look at the evolution of our profession. It shows the extensive experience of Julia …
AWSEM! Empowering women scientists
In one of my recent posts I wrote about the pervasive influence of power on development, and the imperative to deal with it in our evaluations. Here I want to address the evaluation of “empowerment” – the support …
An evaluation agenda for our time
We are all somehow aware that we are on the cusp of dramatic change in society. A series of revolutionary technology-driven changes are set to have a very fundamental effect on how we live, work, relax and relate …
Seven lessons for the SDG era
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 power of power
I have come to the conclusion that nearly everything in life is influenced by power. Yet we almost never evaluate for it. It is difficult to be powerless and happy. The type and extent of the power we …
Valuing evaluation and elevator pitches – Part 2
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 all of these. Yet …
Valuing evaluation and elevator pitches – Part 1
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 …