The manifestations of politics in evaluation: An exploratory study across the evaluation process

Tarek Azzam, Dana Linnell Wanzer, Ciara Knight and Heather Codd

Evaluation and Program Planning, 2021, vol. 88, issue C

Abstract: Evaluation has been described as a political act. Programs and policies are generated from a political process, and the decision to evaluate and how to use the evaluation are manifestations of the political dynamic. This exploratory study was conducted with practicing evaluators to understand what they view as political situations in the evaluation process and how they responded to these situations. Findings suggest that, in relation to the potential evaluation phases in which each respondent has been involved, evaluations are susceptible to politics when initially attempting to identify stakeholders and when it’s time to report the evaluation findings. Evaluators have also developed multiple strategies for dealing with these situations, including finding allies for the evaluation and working to explain the evaluation process and its implications. We hope that this study will help to inform novice and expert evaluators about the various political situations they may encounter in their practice.

Keywords: Politics in evaluation; Random assignment; Research on evaluation; Thematic coding; Evaluation process; Response to politics; Exploratory study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:epplan:v:88:y:2021:i:c:s0149718921000422

DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2021.101947

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