The utilisation of evaluations (2007)
Author : Peta Sandison
Organisation : ODI
Publication date : 2007
Language : English
Number of pages : 56
Format : Pdf
Although evaluations are generally successful in identifying lessons and building institutional memory, only a minority of evaluations are effective at introducing evident changes or improvements in performance. If this continues, there is a danger that continued poor utilisation will undermine the credibility of evaluation as a tool for accountability and learning in the humanitarian sector. This document has five main sections. Following this introduction (Section 3.1), Sections 3.2 and 3.3 draw upon existing studies of utilisation to describe the different types of use made of evaluation, and examine a range of factors found to promote use. Section 3.4 examines four case studies and the findings of a series of interviews and a questionnaire survey. These findings are used to expand on the evidence of the preceding studies, exploring the extent to which factors affecting use identified in the literature are borne out in practice. Section 3.5 considers the implications for the future of learning and accountability mechanisms in the sector.
