Recent Posts
25
May
Evaluation's Journey towards the Future, Part 5. The Liminal space of Not-Yet Futures
We live in a liminal space, suspended between what was and what is becoming. Like a cocoon where the old dissolves before the new takes shape, this in-between space is where the transformations we need become possible. What does this mean for evaluation?
3 min read
15
May
Evaluation's Journey towards the Future, Part 4. It has always been political
Evaluation has never been neutral. Throughout history, the act of assessing has served as both instrument of control and catalyst for justice. This post examines how power, politics and ideology have always shaped what gets evaluated, by whom, and for what purpose.
4 min read
13
May
Evaluation's Journey towards the Future, Part 3. The tributaries that make up our field
Evaluation does not flow from a single source. Like a river fed by countless tributaries, it draws from government accountability, Indigenous wisdom, professional practice, academic research, digital innovation and activist movements.
5 min read
06
May
Evaluation’s Journey towards the Future, Part 2. How did we get here?
From ancient aquifers to modern canals: how evaluation evolved from intuitive human practice into a structured profession. Tracing the currents that carried evaluative thinking from millennia-old traditions into the formalised field we know today.
7 min read
10
Apr
Evaluation’s Journey towards the future, Part 1: Ancient tributaries
As we chart evaluation’s future, its earliest beginnings continue to shape the field. From ancient Egypt’s Nile governance to China’s imperial examinations, from Indigenous knowledge systems to Athenian civic audits – a vivid journey through five millennia of evaluative practice.
9 min read
03
Apr
“What went wrong with woke?” The problem of measurement and influence.
How twisted narratives and simplistic measures can destroy a major effort to do good. This post examines what the backlash against ESG and ‘woke’ culture reveals about the dangers of poor measurement, ideological capture, and evaluation’s role in defending evidence-based progress
4 min read
19
Mar
The E-T Nexus: Connecting Evaluation and Transformation
Evaluation professionals increasingly work where evaluation and transformation meet – yet few truly navigate this space. This post introduces the evaluation-transformation nexus - evaluation OF, FOR, AS and In transformation - and its use when working on complex change.
6 min read
19
Mar
Nine Reasons for Hope and Optimism. And why we need to seize this moment.
Despite the polycrisis, this is also a time to celebrate. Nine reasons for genuine hope – from shifting power dynamics to regenerative movements – and why evaluation professionals and change-makers should seize this exceptional moment.
11 min read
19
Mar
Seven Reasons for Outrage. And why anger is not the answer.
From broken multilateralism to rising authoritarianism, there are powerful reasons for outrage in our hyperconnected world. But anger alone will not serve us. This post names seven structural failures demanding our attention — and argues for channelling outrage into purposeful action.
8 min read
12
Nov
Guest post. Drawing from Complexity Science to do Evaluation: Knowledge to Drive Operational Decisions
"I am going to analyse the data with statistics".
"I am going to apply statistical thinking to
3 min read