learningforsustainability.netHome » Evaluation » Approaches
Participatory monitoring and evaluation
Contemporary evaluation approaches routinely promote the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders, employing methods that allow a more equal opportunity for the expression of views and sharing of lessons. Social learning and empowerment are based on each other. Empowerment is the process of enhancing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes.These approaches are not just used in community projects, but are now mainstream within organisations, institutions and other agencies.
- M&E for learning and evaluation: The managing for impact approach There are increasing calls for new M&E approaches that encourage learning and participation. In this article Jim Woodhill and Mine Pabari explain how the managing for impact approach places M&E at the centre of learning and management processes.
- Social Learning through Evaluation This CSIRO working paper by Tom Measham shows how a social learning approach can be incorporated into evaluating public investment in environmental management dealing with the complex environmental challenges. The paper shows that, by incorporating social learning principles and some additional practical elements, program evaluation can promote collective action and critical reflection which can assist individuals and communities to respond to complex problems.
- Strengthening social change through organizational learning and evaluation This paper by Andrew Mott summarises the outcomes from the 2003 Gray Rocks conference on Strengthening Social Change Through Assessment and Learning. The gathering was sponsored by four organizations in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and involved participants from Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as North America and Europe. Well worth reading, and provides some good synthesis of the wealth of experience present. Another version of the report can be found here
at the Community Learning Project. - Addressing the Question of Attribution in Evaluation The purpose of this IDRC highlight is to provide suggestions for dealing with the challenge of ‘attribution’ within evaluation. It is designed to offer an overview of some of the key issues and challenges, as well as some suggestions for ‘ways ahead’. It is a synthesis of some of the ideas presented in Alex Iverson’s “Attribution and Aid Evaluation in International Development: Literature Review (2003) available at http://web.idrc.ca/ev_en.php?ID=32055_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
- Empowerment evaluation Empowerment evaluation is the use of evaluation concepts, techniques, and findings to foster improvement and self-determination. Its development has been pioneered by David Fetterman. Although it can be applied to individuals, organizations, communities, and societies or cultures, the focus is usually on programs. Empowerment evaluation has an unambiguous value orientation -- it is designed to help people help themselves and improve their programs using a form of self-evaluation and reflection.
- Most Significant Change (MSC) This evaluation technique was originally developed by Rick Davies in 1993 as a means of participatory impact monitoring. The MSC approach involves the collection and "systematic participatory interpretation" of stories of change. It has been widely used in the monitoring of aid projects throughout the developing world but its use is also expanding into government and corporate areas as the value of a dialogue based technique becomes appreciated. Latest development: The Most Significant Change (MSC) Technique: A Guide to Its Use, a PDF report produced by Rick Davies and Jess Dart in late 2004.
- Clear Horizon evaluation site Jess Dart hosts a number of her publications covering Most Significant Change and other evaluation approaches on this Australian-based site.
- Towards improving the role of evaluation within natural resource management R&D programmes: The case for learning by doing This paper by Will Allen discusses how the increasing use of participatory development approaches in recent years pose new challenges for decision-makers and evaluators. Because these programmes are designed to be responsive to changing community needs, one of the most pressing challenges is to develop participatory and systems-based evaluative processes to allow for ongoing learning, correction, and adjustment by all parties concerned. This paper outlines one such evaluation process, and uses a case study in New Zealand to illustrate its benefits in the light of current issues facing both evaluators and natural resource managers.
- Policy and plan effectiveness monitoring Policy and plan effectiveness monitoring can signal the need for future action and provides information on possible improvements to policy and plan content and implementation. This page has been developed by Karen Bell and Leigh Robcke for the New Zealand-based Quality Planning website. Contains advice and links to a number of international resources that help with policy monitoring.
- Participatory monitoring and evaluation case studies This Landcare Research site provides documented examples of evaluation processes carried out in a number of environmental management settings. These include catchment management and resource use efficiency. One document provides a framework for evaluating the success of teams.
- Strategic considerations in facilitative evaluation approaches This paper takes a more generic look at evaluation, its role, processes, and the role of the evaluator as applied to a variety of conflict resolution or collaborative problem solving processes, e.g., community-based partnership/coalition programs, public policy disputes, or interethnic or intercultural dispute.
- Strategic considerations in facilitative evaluation approaches this site from Annalisa Lewis Raymer serves as a guide and entry way to some of the many resources on the subject of participatory evaluation. Whether you simply want to include more stakeholders in an assessment process, or you seek to create a just, democratic and sustainable world, useful materials await a click away.
- The Sourcebook for Evaluating Global and Regional Partnership Programs Global and regional partnership programs represent collective action to achieve common development objectives that program partners can achieve more efficiently by working together. This report is a free-standing document which builds on principles and standards for evaluating these programs. It has been developed by the OECD/DAC Evaluation Network, the United Nations Evaluation Group, the Evaluation Cooperation Group of the Multilateral Development Banks, evaluation associations, and others.
- Network of networks for impact evaluation (NONIE) Nonie is a network of networks for impact evaluation comprised of the DAC Evaluation Network, The United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG), the Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECG), and a fourth network drawn from the regional evaluation associations. Its purpose is to foster a program of impact evaluation activities based on a common understanding of the meaning of impact evaluation and approaches to conducting impact evaluation.
