Recent Posts
16
Nov
Guest post: Learning from Failure. Lessons for Evaluators and Organisations
Experience of failure is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, one can hide it, blame it on others or
3 min read
13
Nov
Ten tips for shifting to systems-informed evaluation
As one of three facilitators at a recent 3-day workshop organised in Connecticut by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) on '
2 min read
14
Sep
Competencies for post-normal evaluation, Part 3
One thing is certain: the proficiencies and abilities that will help us deal with the world in an era defined
4 min read
12
Sep
Competencies for post-normal evaluation, Part 2
Skill 6. Deep Generalists
In order to be a good evaluation professional, it is essential to see connections. We have
4 min read
03
Sep
Competencies for post-normal evaluation, Part 1
"Are modernity's blueprints for evaluation theory and practice exhausted?" Only now and again one finds provocative
6 min read
16
Jul
Guest post: The etcetera of Transformative Evaluation
Umberto Eco, in the opening pages to his book The Infinity of Lists provides evaluators with a ticklish challenge: stability
3 min read
30
Apr
Learning from China’s Transformation, Part 6. Co-evolution - a ‘first principle’.
Co-evolution – the mutual shaping of institutions, markets, society and governance over time – emerges as a first principle in understanding China’s transformation. This concluding post draws together the series’ lessons for evaluation and development practice
5 min read
26
Apr
Learning from China's Transformation, Part 5. Directed improvisation
China’s development story is an extraordinary example of complex adaptive systems thinking applied to political-economic transformation. ‘Directed improvisation’ – combining top-down strategic vision with bottom-up experimentation – holds vital lessons for us.
8 min read
22
Apr
Learning from China's Transformation, Part 4. Dominant narratives, alternative perspectives
Democracy, human rights, Africa engagement, the Belt and Road ‘debt trap’ – four dominant narratives about China examined alongside alternative perspectives. Why we must demonstrate nuance and pluralism.
6 min read
18
Apr
Learning from China's Transformation, Part 3. Seeing through others' eyes
Our assumptions about China are shaped by narratives we rarely question. This post challenges us to see through others’ eyes – understanding how worldviews, cultural patterning and historical memory shape radically different perspectives on the same reality.
3 min read