Arendalsuka: Democracy in 2,000 sessions, 180 venues, 5 days, 190,000 participants ...
A beautiful Norwegian coastal town transforms into a giant open-air democracy festival. What Arendalsuka reveals about the power of inclusive, place-based democratic engagement – and what evaluation professionals can learn from it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
