 Is evaluation obsolete in a post-truth world?Robert Picciotto Evaluation and Program Planning, 2019, vol. 73, issue C, 88-96 Abstract: The contemporary post-truth phenomenon is characterised by denial of facts and tolerance of politicians’ lies. It has enhanced the appeal of authoritarian and nationalist leaders as a populist reaction to policy failures. While emerging market countries hugely benefited from globalization, the hourly wages of working people in high-income countries have stagnated while inequality has surged, and environmental stresses have escalated. Post-truth dispositions are distorting decision making in the public sphere and they have increased public distrust of knowledge professionals. This is likely to aggravate the very problems that gave rise to the post-truth phenomenon. Evaluation can help reverse the trends that underlie voters’ anxieties, amplification of tribal prejudices and appeals to national pride through sound advice, transparency and public education. This will require new evaluation policy directions. Evaluation internationalization, diversification, democratization and professionalization will have to take place simultaneously. Keywords: Alternative facts; Democracy; Evaluation; Methods; Policy; Post-truth; Psychology; Internationalization (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:epplan:v:73:y:2019:i:c:p:88-96 DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2018.12.006 Access Statistics for this article Evaluation and Program Planning is currently edited by Jonathan A. Morell More articles in Evaluation and Program Planning from Elsevier |
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