S05_ Evaluating Philanthropy in Context: Relational Dynamics, Accountability, and Institutional Environments
S07_ Re-thinking Evaluation Professionalism for Vibrant Democracies: Ethics, Values, and Systemic Capacity in Institutions
S05_ Evaluating Philanthropy in Context: Relational Dynamics, Accountability, and Institutional Environments
S07_ Re-thinking Evaluation Professionalism for Vibrant Democracies: Ethics, Values, and Systemic Capacity in Institutions
S06_ Evaluation for Transformative Democratic Futures: Addressing the polycrisis through systemic learning, power shifts and regeneration
Ian Goldman, May Pettigrew
Rationale and Objectives
Evaluation has a vital role to play in contributing to the transformation required to address the polycrisis by strengthening democratic decision-making, accountability, collective learning and action at a time of rising authoritarianism, entrenched inequality, climate and ecosystem breakdown, and accelerating technological disruption and automation. These challenges stem from political and economic systems prioritising short term gains for the few, weakening shared democratic governance and collective capacity for regeneration.
The objective of this strand is to develop shared clarity and collective solidarity on how new methods and theoretically informed approaches to future fit evaluation, competences, systems transformations and the leverage of enabling environments including centres of power and policy, can support transformative practice.
It builds on futures work using the 3 Horizons - including practical cases of transformative practice, led by the IEAc and the Global Evaluation Agenda 2.0, with a joint global coalition including the IEAc, EES, IOCE,EvalPartners and its affiliates, regional VOPEs and EvalforEarth. The strand draws on collaborative work throughout 2026, including a special issue of the Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation on the transformational imperative (April 2026) and will be shared and tested at the conference, with feedback and co-creative inputs on how to strengthen transformation that respects the rights of persons, Peoples, and all of nature, explore questions of values, democratic participation and power dynamics and how to build the networks needed for wider impact. Collaboration with cognate other strands supporting equity, local voice and downward accountability are welcome.
The objective of this strand is to develop shared clarity and collective solidarity on how new methods and theoretically informed approaches to future fit evaluation, competences, systems transformations and the leverage of enabling environments including centres of power and policy, can support transformative practice.
It builds on futures work using the 3 Horizons - including practical cases of transformative practice, led by the IEAc and the Global Evaluation Agenda 2.0, with a joint global coalition including the IEAc, EES, IOCE,EvalPartners and its affiliates, regional VOPEs and EvalforEarth. The strand draws on collaborative work throughout 2026, including a special issue of the Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation on the transformational imperative (April 2026) and will be shared and tested at the conference, with feedback and co-creative inputs on how to strengthen transformation that respects the rights of persons, Peoples, and all of nature, explore questions of values, democratic participation and power dynamics and how to build the networks needed for wider impact. Collaboration with cognate other strands supporting equity, local voice and downward accountability are welcome.
Strand Overview
1.
Transforming Evaluative Practice to Address the Polycrisis
Zenda Ofir, Ian Kendrick, Khalil Bitar
This panel session examines emerging approaches to how evaluation can contribute to transformation and invites participants to reflect on how their practice can actively address power, democracy, and sustainability.
2. Decolonising Evaluation and Repositioning in Centres of Power
May Pettigrew, Geeta Batra, Nancy McPherson, Kai Brand-Jakobsen, Sven Harten, Martin Weber
How can commissioners and funders and evaluators go beyond accountability on interventions, support local voices and focus on the learning needed to address the polycrisis? This fishbowl session will examine functional silos within governments, hierarchies of power that are rooted in dispossession, displacement, and colonialist extraction, engage learning from Southern, Indigenous, and marginalised perspectives and how traditional top down practices manifest (e.g design frameworks, indicator choice, lack of local community agency in the evaluation).
3. Embedding Evaluation in Organisational Processes
Ian Goldman, Bridget Dillon, Cathy Sharp, Lisandro Martin (World Bank), Irene Guijt
This roundtable session will focus on government, civil society, private sector, and academia, to examine how organisations can transform to be agile, anticipate and respond to unstable futures.
4. Values, Mindsets, and Competencies for Transformational Evaluation Practice (Co-hosted with Professionalisation Strand)
Scott Chaplowe, Candice Morkel, Thania de la Garza, Baraka Mfilinge (EvalYouth representative)
This interactive session explores the values, mindsets, and competencies needed to support the transformational imperative. The discussion explicitly extends beyond evaluators to include those who commission, manage, use, and build capacity for evaluation, recognizing evaluation as a shared and institutional practice. Participants—including young and emerging evaluators—will reflect on the shifts required to engage with complexity, power, and uncertainty.
5. Creating Supportive Enabling Environments for Transformation
Asela Kalugampitiya, Chelladurai Solomon,UNFPA representative (tbc), Thokozile Molaiwa, Sven Harten, Heather Britt.
Linked to GEA 2.0 and South Africa’s revised NEPF, this solutions focussed session examines how evidence can be situated in management and policy cultures to enable transformative action, how to support local voices and incentivise learning and change.
Zenda Ofir, Ian Kendrick, Khalil Bitar
This panel session examines emerging approaches to how evaluation can contribute to transformation and invites participants to reflect on how their practice can actively address power, democracy, and sustainability.
2. Decolonising Evaluation and Repositioning in Centres of Power
May Pettigrew, Geeta Batra, Nancy McPherson, Kai Brand-Jakobsen, Sven Harten, Martin Weber
How can commissioners and funders and evaluators go beyond accountability on interventions, support local voices and focus on the learning needed to address the polycrisis? This fishbowl session will examine functional silos within governments, hierarchies of power that are rooted in dispossession, displacement, and colonialist extraction, engage learning from Southern, Indigenous, and marginalised perspectives and how traditional top down practices manifest (e.g design frameworks, indicator choice, lack of local community agency in the evaluation).
3. Embedding Evaluation in Organisational Processes
Ian Goldman, Bridget Dillon, Cathy Sharp, Lisandro Martin (World Bank), Irene Guijt
This roundtable session will focus on government, civil society, private sector, and academia, to examine how organisations can transform to be agile, anticipate and respond to unstable futures.
4. Values, Mindsets, and Competencies for Transformational Evaluation Practice (Co-hosted with Professionalisation Strand)
Scott Chaplowe, Candice Morkel, Thania de la Garza, Baraka Mfilinge (EvalYouth representative)
This interactive session explores the values, mindsets, and competencies needed to support the transformational imperative. The discussion explicitly extends beyond evaluators to include those who commission, manage, use, and build capacity for evaluation, recognizing evaluation as a shared and institutional practice. Participants—including young and emerging evaluators—will reflect on the shifts required to engage with complexity, power, and uncertainty.
5. Creating Supportive Enabling Environments for Transformation
Asela Kalugampitiya, Chelladurai Solomon,UNFPA representative (tbc), Thokozile Molaiwa, Sven Harten, Heather Britt.
Linked to GEA 2.0 and South Africa’s revised NEPF, this solutions focussed session examines how evidence can be situated in management and policy cultures to enable transformative action, how to support local voices and incentivise learning and change.
