Focusing on Rigor in International Development Evaluation

Focusing on Rigor in International Development Evaluation

“Clouds are not spheres, mountains are not cones, coastlines are not circles, and bark is not smooth, nor does lightning travel in a straight line.” (Benoit Mandelbrot, November 20, 1924–October 14, 2010) Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash Prior to the...
Complexity in development evaluation

Complexity in development evaluation

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need a break from the destruction of USAID in real time. It’s been a very long few weeks since the new U.S. administration decided to stop all aid work. Like many of you, I am out of work and scrambling to find...
Pencils down: foreign aid forced to pause

Pencils down: foreign aid forced to pause

I waited a long time – maybe too long – to start this blog, EvalThoughts. I have been planning it since the end of 2019, when my professional hero, Molly Hageboeck, told me I had more to give. She was nice about it, but she was also telling me not to coast. I...
A blog for international evaluators in the field

A blog for international evaluators in the field

There’s evaluation theory, and then there’s evaluation in practice. When we’re evaluating international development or cooperation projects, it tends to be unpredictable. Evaluators have to think on our feet. We all have stories of when things did not go to plan....