The evaluation field is moving fast these days, and this is good news! The status quo is not an option; we collectively need to change the foundations of our practices. Supporting a diversity of values and knowledge systems will contribute to transforming evaluation practices. Furthermore, reintroducing the contextual dimensions in all evaluation projects will make a significant difference. Interventions are completely intertwined with the many characteristics of the context, being shaped by them and impacting them. The context can no longer be ignored, controlled, or reduced to a topic of interest in a few evaluation questions.
Currently, many thinkers and practitioners from all over the world are getting together to foster the creation and implementation of transformative practices in evaluation. This is fantastic to witness! This book is part of this larger movement. I hope the model presented will provide you with practical guidance for supporting the necessary socio-ecological transition through your evaluation practice. I sincerely hope you will feel empowered to be part of this transformational movement.
In this book, the main dimensions that matter for all living species to thrive, according to existing scientific knowledge, have been introduced. We have examined what implementing planetary health lenses encompasses, and how considering the relationships between the context and the intervention informs each evaluation question. We have discussed different evaluation design avenues for meeting the specificities and requirements of each evaluation question, while considering planetary health dimensions in all we do.
What makes an evaluation project a good one is its fit with and adaptation to its own context, as well as the coherence between the evaluation components (questions, design, and methods). Getting to this balance requires creativity, sometimes combining approaches or evaluation questions, sometimes adding new components to create something new and unique. In this book we offer a kind of archetype for each evaluation question. You should feel free to adapt and transform these proposals to develop something new that would fit your own evaluation context. Methodology needs to dialogue with the evaluation context to meet its social, cultural, and environmental specificities, while also meeting the requirements of the commissioners.
Bringing planetary health lenses to the evaluation project will not necessarily be easy, it is likely to add new challenges. The evaluator will be exposed to higher levels of negotiation, resistance, and potentially skepticism. Until recently, evaluation has failed to consider the whole range of impacts and instead has adopted a narrow definition of the intervention. Adopting a holistic perspective in evaluation projects is a relatively new stance in the field. It will certainly attract some interest and some opposition. Keep in mind that adopting a holistic perspective in evaluation brings an added value to evaluation: Holistic approaches can help communities anticipate the range of impacts resulting from their projects and better prepare their people for the changing socio-environmental conditions we are increasingly experiencing. The current political, environmental, and social contexts call for deep engagement with communities. One shouldn’t shy away. Working in such complexity calls for creativity, strong facilitating skills, and practical wisdom.
Someone with practical wisdom not only knows the right thing to do but wants to do it. (Schwartz & Sharpe, 2006, p. 385)
Engaging in dialogues, trying to build bridges, emphasizing the value of relationships between humans and other living species and with elements is what gives worth and value to our work.
Practical wisdom consists of doing the right thing in the special circumstances of performing the job. […] What do you do in difficult situations? The wisdom to address such questions is practical. It depends on your ability to perceive the situation, have the appropriate feelings about it, deliberate about what’s appropriate in these circumstances, and finally, to act. Practical wisdom requires learned character traits like self-control and self-knowledge. It involves making choices among desirable outcomes that conflict with one another and choosing between the better and best possibilities. These choices require nuanced practical judgements appropriate to the time and circumstances. (House, 2015, p. 88)
As we have seen throughout this book, there is no single way to conduct an evaluation. Each evaluation project is largely influenced by circumstances, and the evaluator, at times, will be navigating in turbulent waters. It’s quite likely that your project won’t unfold exactly as planned. You may face surprises related to data access, participant recruitment, unexpected findings, ethical dilemmas, resistance, or even explicit barriers to implementation. While a well-crafted evaluation plan provides essential direction, it won’t be sufficient on its own. To steer through the unexpected, evaluators must draw on practical wisdom (House, 2015; Hurteau & Williams, 2014). Patton once wrote: “Effective evaluators learn to adapt to changed conditions. This requires situational responsiveness and strategic, contingency thinking” (Patton, 1997, p. 118).
These changed conditions include shifting environmental and social conditions, as well as the dynamic context of disinformation and post-truth politics. To become agile professionals, evaluators need to adopt a holistic reading of the evaluand. Each phenomenon affecting the evaluand cannot be treated independently of others; rather, considering all dynamics and trends can make the evaluator’s response adequate and appropriate for their practice context. No one can ever be fully prepared for the unexpected. In political contexts, for example, deliberate strategies may be made to obstruct the evaluation, such as restricting access to data, discrediting the evaluator, or limiting the dissemination of results.
The roles played by an evaluator in any given situation will depend on the evaluation’s purpose, the unique constellation of conditions with which the evaluator is faced, and the evaluator’s own personal knowledge, skills, style, values, and ethics. (Patton, 1997, p. 136)
In such turbulent conditions, staying focused on what matters most in the project can provide essential guidance for navigating difficult choices.
How do we enhance our practical wisdom? “Practical wisdom is acquired primarily from direct experience” (House, 2015, p. 131). It can also be developed by hearing others’ stories. Sharing with our peers is a learning activity in which we are exposed to other ideas, frameworks, and approaches and learn about the unexpected. Learning from others, we can get new ideas on how to engage. Each project is a learning journey for participants but also for the evaluator. The more we learn the more we develop situational agility for leading projects in a good way!
You are not alone on this journey. The field of evaluation continues to evolve, playing an important role in advancing truth and reconciliation, sustainable development, and greater equity. Many evaluators are embracing these new orientations and experimenting within their own projects. Communities of evaluators adopting planetary health principles are emerging across the globe. Each year, more resources and opportunities become available. Don’t hesitate to connect with other evaluators and build your own professional network. Take some time to explore the websites listed below, subscribe to their newsletters and consider becoming a member. Many of them offer valuable materials, including videos, briefs, and practical guides to support your learning and professional growth.
- International Evaluation Academy: https://ieac.global
- Blue Marble Evaluation: https://bluemarbleeval.org
- Better Evaluation Community: https://www.betterevaluation.org
- Footprint Evaluation: https://footprintevaluation.org
- EvalIndigenous: https://www.evalindigenous.net
- Indigenous Insights. An Evaluation Podcast: https://indigenousinsights.podbean.com/page/3/
- Eval4Action: https://www.eval4action.org/walk-the-talk
- Eval SDGs: https://evalsdgs.org/about/
- Eval for Earth: https://www.evalforearth.org/about-us
- Eval Partners: https://evalpartners.org
- International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation: https://ioce.net
Evaluation associations are also good resources (this list is not exhaustive):
- The International Development Evaluation Association: https://ideas-global.org
- The Canadian Evaluation Society: https://evaluationcanada.ca/about/index.html
- The European Evaluation Society: https://europeanevaluation.org/about-ees/
- The African Evaluation Association: https://afrea.org
- The Asia-Pacific Evaluation Association: https://asiapacificeval.org
- The Australasian Evaluation Society:
https://www.evaluation.bg/en/partner/australasian-evaluation-society
- Le réseau francophone de l’évaluation: https://www.rfevaluation.org/FIFE
- The American Evaluation Association: https://www.eval.org
Many other resources, networks and associations exist! Explore those in your region or aligned with your areas of interest.
Together, by developing meaningful relationships with like-minded evaluators around the world, we can make a difference. Together, we can bring new thinking to how we structure our societies, shifting impacts from detrimental to regenerative, for a healthy planet for all!