The European Research Council (ERC) receives many high-quality applications, but funds only a few. We analyze how members of ERC review panels assess applications in the first, highly competitive step of evaluations for ERC Starting and Consolidator Grants. Drawing on interviews with ERC panel members in different fields, we show that they adopt a…

Evaluation professionals need to be nimble and innovative in their approaches in order to be relevant and provide useful evidence to decision-makers, stakeholders, and society in the crowded public policy landscape. In this article, we offer serious games as a method that can be employed by evaluators to address three persisting challenges in…

Research on the evaluation of large-scale public-sector reforms is rare. This article sets out to fill that gap in the evaluation literature and argues that it is of vital importance since the impact of such reforms is considerable and they change the context in which evaluations of other and more delimited policy areas take place. In our…

Knowledge brokering is a promising practice for addressing the challenge of using research evidence, including evaluation findings, in policy implementation. For public policy practitioners, it means playing the role of an intermediary who steers the flow of knowledge between producers (researchers) and users (decision makers). It requires a set…

The author enjoyed reading Katharine Hay's ambitious and humbling visions for evaluation field building in South Asia. She has successfully positioned herself on a high mountain with a wonderful set of binoculars that enable her to see the entire evaluation landscape of South Asia. She magically sees and describes significant historical forces and…

This chapter features a recent conversation with Dr. Arnold J. Love, a long-time proponent of internal evaluation and one of the most cited internal evaluation authors. In 1983, Love edited the first issue of "New Directions for Program Evaluation" on the topic of internal evaluation. He is the author of the book "Internal…

Promotion of evaluation as a profession in Australia and New Zealand is discussed. The profession is challenged to make a commitment to utility, quality products and processes, and the development of skilled, trained professionals. Ways of overcoming barriers to the establishment of evaluation as a profession are outlined. (TJH)

Results of a survey of 564 Canadian and American evaluators and evaluation project descriptions provided by a subsample of 348 evaluators indicate that evaluators support a utilization-focused, stakeholder service orientation and think that maximizing evaluation use is a primary responsibility of evaluators. (SLD)

The five chapters of this special issue provide insights into how Scandinavians understand evaluation practice. Although there is no "Scandinavian" perspective on evaluation, theory and practice in the Scandinavian countries unfold against sociocultural and intellectual influences that differ from those of the United States. (SLD)

The lack of overriding rationale and theoretical anchors in "Standards for the Evaluation of Educational Programs, Projects and Materials" creates difficulties when adapting the standards to local situations. The limitations of the book's treatment of ethical considerations, evaluation, utilization, and research management procedures for…

Based on experiences in conducting program evaluations for the Canadian Federal Government, an evaluator addresses reconciliation of the information needs of managers and accountability. External and internal accountability are covered. Using the perspectives of both line managers and senior managers, means of resolving pertinent issues are…

The evaluation of second language programs is an educational task with profound potential for improving pedagogical practice. Evaluators who educate perform more than just a "service" function by helping people to learn, develop themselves, and refine their abilities to work more effectively. (CB)

Four key entities participating in foreign assistance projects are (1) donors; (2) technical advisors; (3) host country counterparts; and (4) beneficiaries. Resistance to collaborative evaluation that each may exhibit is discussed, along with ways evaluators can overcome resistance and enhance evaluation outcomes, credibility, and utilization.…

Developed an instrument to evaluate the performance of educational administrators at a Canadian medical school. After 3 yearly evaluations, 20 administrators and 80 evaluators acknowledged broader input into evaluation, but saw little evaluation-related improved performance. (SLD)

This paper has two aims, each bearing on recent developments in evaluation policy. The first is to summarize a report presented in 1980 to the United States Congress and Department of Education, concerning evaluation policy and practices at the national, state, and local levels of government. The second aim is to link some of the United States…