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Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation criteria are among the most consequential choices an evaluator makes, yet they are too often simply adopted rather than interrogated. Posts here examine how criteria shape what we see and what we miss, how the OECD DAC criteria and other frameworks travel across contexts and eras, and what happens when we ask not just what to evaluate, but whose definition and understanding of value, progress and success prevails.
19
Oct
The DAC criteria, Part 6. Key issues before deciding

The DAC criteria, Part 6. Key issues before deciding

This final post about the DAC criteria captures key points for consideration in the evaluation for development space. It is
6 min read
16
Oct
The DAC criteria, Part 5. Non-negotiable criteria

The DAC criteria, Part 5. Non-negotiable criteria

It is ironic that evaluation has been unable to prevent - or even just sufficiently critique - some of the
9 min read
12
Oct
The DAC criteria, Part 4. Flexible criteria

The DAC criteria, Part 4. Flexible criteria

Our development evaluation criteria should not be determined solely by stakeholder-determined interests, or by pragmatism resulting from constrained resources. Development
4 min read
09
Oct
The DAC criteria, Part 3. What should determine them?

The DAC criteria, Part 3. What should determine them?

It will be unwise only to 'fix' in an ad hoc manner the weaknesses in the composition and
2 min read
06
Oct
The DAC criteria, Part 2. Why change?

The DAC criteria, Part 2. Why change?

Given the good contributions of the DAC criteria noted in Part 1 of this series, let us now turn to
7 min read
02
Oct
The DAC criteria, Part 1. The positives

The DAC criteria, Part 1. The positives

The highly influential DAC evaluation criteria need to be revised. Some say reformed. What will modernised evaluation criteria for development
3 min read
10
Mar
Sustaining (development) impact

Sustaining (development) impact

These days we talk a lot about “sustainable development”. And about “evaluating impact”. But I continue to maintain that it is useless to evaluate the impacts of an intervention without focusing on whether such impacts have a good chance to sustain.
4 min read
09
Mar
Evaluation – a Beautiful Practice

Evaluation – a Beautiful Practice

Is evaluation beautiful? This post argues that evaluation as profession and practice is intrinsically beautiful — rooted in millennia, engaging our deepest capabilities. But how we practise it is often not. A meditation on evaluation’s true value proposition.
6 min read