In a recent blog post published during the AEA 2019 Conference, Cameron Norman, initiated a list of things that evaluation is for. Recalling this list was helpful during a recent family gathering when I was asked about work. Rather than focus on the means of evaluation, I found myself talking more about the ends of evaluation which coincided with many of the things on his list shared below. Evaluation is for…
- Decision making
- Seeing the future
- Design and innovation
- Asking better questions
- Creating conversation
- Speaking truth to power
- Honoring our work
- Learning
- Leading system change
- Telling stories about who we are as a people
- Promoting health and preventing harm
- Reinforcing democratic ideals
- Provoking curiosity
- Recognizing humanity
Make sure to check out Cameron’s blog post that elaborates on each of these.