The Politics and Consequences of Including Stakeholders in International Development Evaluation

Abstract

Participatory evaluation approaches have a relatively long history of advocacy and application in the international development evaluation community. Despite widespread use and apparent resonance with practitioners and donors alike, very little empirical research exists on why and how participatory evaluation approaches are used in international development settings. In this article, we present results derived from a mixed method investigation of a sample of practicing international development evaluators regarding their perceptions of how and why stakeholders are included in international development evaluations. Findings suggest that participatory evaluation approaches are interpreted and practiced in widely differing ways. Implications for international development evaluation practice and future research are discussed.