AN ANALYTICAL DISCUSSION ON METHODOLOGICAL RELEVANCE OF DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE’S EVALUATION CRITERIA

Abstract

Monitoring and evaluation are modern approaches used to study project logic and these help in solving project problems. Taking a few muscles and bones from social research these studies are growing in the fields. Monitoring and evaluation studies take key methods and tools from social research, particularly operational research. Therefore, these are deemed identical to social research but monitoring and evaluation are not social research. These are deserted children of social research who are growing independently in the fields based on needs. This discussion paper doesn’t explore the history of evaluation but explains the conceptual trajectory of evaluation starting from its mandate to the practice. Development or humanitarian sector is not running based on the theory of demand and supply. The development sector is based on the logic of need and fulfillment. Therefore, evaluation in the development sector is also grounded in need. While explaining the conceptual roots and practices of evaluation in the development sector. Commonly used OECD/DAC evaluation criteria are taken for discussion. Hence the evaluation is an abductive approach of study that focuses on project logic and helps in solving project problems or measuring project results. Therefore, an abductive approach to examination is used in this paper. Coming with the deductive approach, the review starts with theory and ends at practice, and following the inductive approach review starts with practice to help generalizing concepts. Both approaches have limitations when applied to examine evaluation practices and mandate. Because the practices and mandate are already existing in the vacuum of evaluation. Therefore, this specific analysis is an attempt to cognize the linkages between existing evaluation theory and practice. Vivid cognition in building trajectory between evaluation ideology and practice. Leads to recognize the scope of evaluation that ultimately contributes to sophisticated evaluation practices. The journey of this analysis embarks with fundamental questions, why the OECD/DAC criteria are being used for evaluations in the development sector, and considered useful? What are the logical links among evaluation mandate, evaluation approach, evaluation frame “OECD/DAC criteria”, and evaluation methods?

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