S16_ When the world changes, evaluation must change too: Systems Thinking for changing mindsets, methods, and institutions.
S16_ When the world changes, evaluation must change too: Systems Thinking for changing mindsets, methods, and institutions.
S17_ Evaluators as Actors that Support Vibrant Democracies
Vincent Ssenyondo, Catherine Namande, John LaVelle, Gabriel Keney, Patricia Rogers, Dugan Fraser
Strand Overview
The concepts of evaluation and the roles that evaluators play in democratic societies are multifaceted and complex. As such, a range of actors are involved in planning, managing, conducting, and using evaluations in ways that support democratic processes and ideals. This series of sessions link together by exploring some of the roles and contributions different actors play in evaluation.
Session 1: Evaluators and university-based evaluator education systems.
Session 1 general description: This session will first describe recent research on evaluators’ ethics, values, and identity before transitioning into recent studies about university-based evaluator education systems across the world.
Session 2: Actors, roles and models for VOPES to empower young and emerging evaluators (YEEs) for practice in democratic societies.
Session 2 description: This session will begin by describing the skill and mentorship gaps that can make young and emerging evaluators (YEE) development challenging, then describing work on how VOPE-focused capacity development models are scalable, sustainable, and context-responsive.
Session 3: Roles for different actors involved in commissioning and managing evaluations in ways that support democracies
Session 3 description: This session will explore concrete ways that evaluation commissioning can support (or undermine) democracy with a focus on how commissioning can work in different contexts and the challenges that arise in the process. This will include implications for different actors including commissioners from government, NGOs, philanthropic and multilateral organizations, evaluators and central government units.
Session 4: To be determined via Call B.
Key questions include:
- How do VOPEs and other actors help support young and emerging evaluators to be contributors in democratic societies?
- How can evaluation commissioning processes support or undermine democracy, and how can challenges be addressed?
Session 1: Evaluators and university-based evaluator education systems.
Session 1 general description: This session will first describe recent research on evaluators’ ethics, values, and identity before transitioning into recent studies about university-based evaluator education systems across the world.
Session 2: Actors, roles and models for VOPES to empower young and emerging evaluators (YEEs) for practice in democratic societies.
Session 2 description: This session will begin by describing the skill and mentorship gaps that can make young and emerging evaluators (YEE) development challenging, then describing work on how VOPE-focused capacity development models are scalable, sustainable, and context-responsive.
Session 3: Roles for different actors involved in commissioning and managing evaluations in ways that support democracies
Session 3 description: This session will explore concrete ways that evaluation commissioning can support (or undermine) democracy with a focus on how commissioning can work in different contexts and the challenges that arise in the process. This will include implications for different actors including commissioners from government, NGOs, philanthropic and multilateral organizations, evaluators and central government units.
Session 4: To be determined via Call B.
Key questions include:
- How do VOPEs and other actors help support young and emerging evaluators to be contributors in democratic societies?
- How can evaluation commissioning processes support or undermine democracy, and how can challenges be addressed?
