S05_ Evaluating Philanthropy in Context: Relational Dynamics, Accountability, and Institutional Environments
S05_ Evaluating Philanthropy in Context: Relational Dynamics, Accountability, and Institutional Environments
S04_ Evaluating democracy, governance, and recovery support when the stakes are high: methods, accountability and learning in complex, fragile, politicized and conflict-affected contexts
Claire LeBlanc, Dima Issa, Kai Brand-Jacobsen, Lydeke Schakel, Olga Mrinska, Raphaëlle Bisiaux, Rebekah Usatin
Rationale and Objectives
Democracy and governance are under growing pressure worldwide. Polarisation of societies, declining public trust, protracted conflicts, widening economic gaps, climate crisis, and geopolitical instability increasingly shape how democratic and economic governance institutions function in practice. In this context, we propose a coherent set of sessions that explore how democracy support and governance interventions are being evaluated in complex, fragile, politicized, as well as conflict-affected and violence contexts.
Key issues explored:
• How can evaluation contribute meaningfully to building vibrant democracies and well-functioning economic systems in contexts of polarisation, shrinking civic space, climate crisis, conflict, and war?
• What practical strategies allow evaluators to responsibly navigate the inherently political nature of democracy support work, while ensuring findings translate into meaningful decisions rather than remaining unused?
• What are the opportunities and risks of using perception data and innovative methods to evaluate democratic governance, citizen trust, and accountability?
• How can evaluations better connect development needs, public accountability, and democratic legitimacy in fragile and climate-affected regions?
The strand is expected to contribute to:
• Evaluation theory, by strengthening interdisciplinary connections and advancing conceptual thinking on democracy and institutions-building as a dynamic, systemic, and contested process;
• Evaluation practice, by sharing concrete methods, tools, and lessons from real-world evaluations conducted in various contexts, including conflict-affected, fragile and violence contexts;
• Impact of evaluative evidence on policy dialogue, design and delivery of donor policies and strategies, as well as building local capabilities and democratic processes on the ground.
Key issues explored:
• How can evaluation contribute meaningfully to building vibrant democracies and well-functioning economic systems in contexts of polarisation, shrinking civic space, climate crisis, conflict, and war?
• What practical strategies allow evaluators to responsibly navigate the inherently political nature of democracy support work, while ensuring findings translate into meaningful decisions rather than remaining unused?
• What are the opportunities and risks of using perception data and innovative methods to evaluate democratic governance, citizen trust, and accountability?
• How can evaluations better connect development needs, public accountability, and democratic legitimacy in fragile and climate-affected regions?
The strand is expected to contribute to:
• Evaluation theory, by strengthening interdisciplinary connections and advancing conceptual thinking on democracy and institutions-building as a dynamic, systemic, and contested process;
• Evaluation practice, by sharing concrete methods, tools, and lessons from real-world evaluations conducted in various contexts, including conflict-affected, fragile and violence contexts;
• Impact of evaluative evidence on policy dialogue, design and delivery of donor policies and strategies, as well as building local capabilities and democratic processes on the ground.