Abstract
Evaluation and the Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs or Global Goals) agreed to in 2015 offer a turning point for all nations to work towards more sustainable and inclusive communities, countries and ultimately, our world. A key catch cry for the SDGs is that they need to be implemented on the basis of ‘no-one left behind’; addressing the inequities that currently face the world. The SDGs are also universal; they do not distinguish between ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ countries, recognizing that we all have a job to do to address inequity, injustice and other issues relating to sustainability across all nations. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development outlines the commitments for the 17 SDGs. It also calls for follow-up and review processes that incorporate ‘rigorous, country-led evaluations’ to examine policy and programme implementation and effectiveness. At present, there is considerable focus on how to measure progress using indicators, national statistics and national monitoring systems but evaluation is being increasingly recognized as a means to assess whether progress is equitable, relevant and sustainable. EVALSDGs (Evaluation-adding Value and Learning to the SDGs) is a network that operates under the EvalPartners banner. It was launched at the same time as the Global Evaluation Agenda 2016–2020 as part of the culmination of EvalYear 2015 in Nepal. EVALSDGs operates as an organic network of interested and skilled policymakers, institutions and practitioners interested in promoting evaluation as a key ingredient of the SDGs review and follow-up process. EVALSDGs advocates for evaluation of the SDGs through participation in events and activities related to the SDGs. Members support integration of evaluation initiatives into global, regional, national and sub-national SDGs activities so that evaluative evidence and reasoning and values of equity and effectiveness are incorporated in policy, planning and practical implementation towards achievement of the SDGs.
For more information, please see http://www.unicef.org/evaluation/index_89750.html or http://forum.ioce.net/forum/open-forums/evalsdg or contact EVALSDGs Co-Chairs EvalPartners (Dorothy Lucks on
International session on ‘Global Trend in Systematic Review for Policy Making’ by Japan Evaluation Society
The Japan Evaluation Society held the international session titled ‘Global Trend in Systematic Review for Policy Making’ as a part of the spring conference on 28th May 2016 at JICA Yokohama, to promote the exchange of views of Evidence Informed Policy and Practice on evaluation topics in Japan and overseas including Asia-Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA).
We had two presenters: David Gough from University College London, UK and Tomoya Masaki from JICA. We actively discussed with the commentators, Aki Yonehara from Toyo University, Masataka Saburi from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, participants from APEA on Skype and the audience. The moderator was Naonobu Minato from International University of Japan.
Capacity Building Workshop series: ‘Strengthening Evaluation Culture and Capacity in South Africa’
The 2016 Monitoring and Evaluation Capacity Building Workshop series organized by SAMEA in partnership with the Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), the Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR), the Public Service Commission (PSC), the SAMEA Eastern Cape Chapter and Western Cape will be held in Cape Town from 6–7 October 2016. The theme for this year’s workshop series is ‘Strengthening Evaluation Culture and Capacity in South Africa’. The Workshop series (6–7 October) will coincide with the annual AGM of SAMEA (6 October).
The workshop themes are the following:
Evaluation theories and methodologies (e.g. use of systems thinking, use of programme logic and TOC in evaluation, selecting appropriate evaluation designs to address evaluation questions).
Innovation for managing big data for evaluation (e.g. data analytics and visualization).
Challenges and solutions for implementation of M&E systems as part of the performance management system in different contexts – national and provincial departments, municipalities (e.g. Integrated Results Based Monitoring & Evaluation System – Relationship between planning and M&E; strengthening data management system, improving the quality of data analysis and reporting).
Managing evaluations both from perspective of the commissioner and the evaluator (developing terms of reference, assessing the inception report, quality assuring the phases of the evaluation reports, communicating the evaluation findings).
Use of evaluation findings by decision makers – programme managers, executive management, cabinet and legislatures.
For more information, please contact: Dr Victor Naidu (
Western Balkan regional training: Evaluating effectiveness of projects, programmes, and policies for smart growth 2020
The Slovenian Evaluation Society in cooperation with Croatian Evaluation Society (represented by Institute of Economics from Zagreb) are organizing the first regional training for evaluators ‘Evaluating effectiveness of projects, programmes, and policies for smart growth 2020’ on 20–22 July 2016 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Geographical focus:
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
FYR of Macedonia
Montenegro
Serbia
Western Balkan countries (WBC)
American Evaluation Association Conference Evaluation 2016: Evaluation + Design
‘Everything we evaluate is designed. Every evaluation we conduct is designed. Every report, graph, or figure we present is designed. In our profession, design and evaluation are woven together to support the same purpose – making the world a better place. This is the inspiration for the 2016 theme:
This year, the AEA conference will consider the integration of design and evaluation in three areas.
nonprofit organizations serving the most critical needs of communities with education, human services, and health programmes;
government agencies piloting innovative solutions to longstanding social problems;
philanthropists supporting collaborative programmes designed to create collective impact;
corporations implementing social responsibility programmes that promote social equity and environmental sustainability;
and public–private initiatives, such as pay-for-success funding, social enterprises, and impact investing, that leverage private capital for social good.
Every programme is designed, yet the field of evaluation has not developed a systematic approach to designing programmes. Should we? Can we? What would it look like? What role should evaluators play? How can evaluation be built into a programme from the start? Can we design for sustainability? What does it mean for a programme to have an exemplary design?
the use of evaluation as a direct means of creating change, for example by working with stakeholders in ways that promote equity and empower communities;
strategies for understanding, working with, and building consensus among stakeholders;
the thoughtful combination of quantitative and qualitative methods;
the application of evaluation for formative, summative, and developmental purposes;
and the development of evaluative criteria that establish what matters, to whom, and why.
Evaluation design is dynamic, changing as programmes develop and real-world challenges emerge. Given this complexity, what constitutes an exemplary evaluation design? Does flexibility and responsiveness come at the expense of quality, credibility, or usefulness? Can we learn to design evaluations that are faster, cheaper, and better? How do we balance the competing interests of stakeholders?
data visualization techniques that transform mind-boggling complexity into clear, meaningful images;
real-time data displays that help managers make decisions better and more quickly;
storytelling that speaks to the part of our brains hardwired by evolution to learn from narrative;
and multi-faceted communication strategies that leverage social psychology and social media to promote appropriate and timely use.
Information design plays a central role in evaluation. But what is good information design? How should it be taught and learned? Can we be persuasive and accurate at the same time? Have evaluation reports become obsolete? What roles can online and interactive technologies play?
In 2016, professionals from around the world who conduct, use, support, and study evaluation will come together in Atlanta. As a global community, we will explore how design and evaluation can be integrated to strengthen programmes, benefit the environment, and improve the lives of people.
Australasian Evaluation Society Conference 2016: Landscapes
The theme of the 2016 Australasian Evaluation Society Conference is Landscapes.
Western Australia is the largest state in Australia and the second-largest country subdivision in the world. It occupies the entire western third of Australia, from the Timor Sea in the north, through the Indian Ocean to the west, and the Southern Ocean in the south. As such, it is characterized by vast distances and incredibly diverse landscapes. However, the diversity of Western Australia is not restricted to the natural or built environment. Like most other regions; culturally, socially, organizationally, politically and economically, Western Australia is a land of multiplicity and almost constant change.
The 2016 Australasian Evaluation Society Conference will reflect on what diversity and change in social, cultural, organizational, environmental, political and economic landscapes means for evaluation and evaluators. It will consider how we work within and between those landscapes, what impact our work has on them (both positive and negative), and how we respond to changes in their terrain (particularly those changes that we create). It will also consider how the diversity of the landscapes we work in and their changing features has shaped our past evaluation practices, contributed to the practices we currently use, and how it could influence evaluation practices of the future. This discussion will include consideration of changing technological landscapes.
At the 2016 conference we are asking for proposals that contribute to the following conference themes:
Social and Cultural Landscapes
Organizational, Political and Economic Landscapes
Natural and Built Landscapes
Evaluation Landscapes
For more information see http://conference2016.aes.asn.au/.