Comparable and Yet Context-Sensitive? Improving Evaluation in Violently Divided Societies Through Methodology

Abstract

This article shows that the current stalemate in peacebuilding evaluation is due to disagreements between donor agencies, practitioners and scholar-practitioners about the necessity, appropriate level and purpose of such evaluations. It synthesises these three axes of disagreement in a theoretical framework, which is then applied to the case of evaluating reconciliation processes in violently divided societies. This application provides a clear methodological rationale for pursuing a metrics-driven, locally anchored approach to evaluating reconciliation instead of employing interpretive methods or globally standardised checklists. Realising the potential of this approach requires that donors, practitioners and researchers recast mutual expectations based on methodological rather than normative considerations.

Keywords:

• monitoring
• evaluation
• aid effectiveness
• peacebuilding
• reconciliation
• community development

Notes

¹ The authors sincerely thank Erin McCandless for her related remarks at the 2013 Convention of the International Studies Association, which illustrated this local–global tension and thus proved very helpful in terms of framing the article; and wish to credit Nega Berecha, Ben Kushner, Beth Leonhardt, Andrés Felipe Perez, Bianca Verrilli and Ben Williams for their thoughtful input to an early version. They also thank the Dean’s Office of American University’s School of International Service for its support to the research process. Tobias Denskus and Kent Glenzer as well as three anonymous reviewers and the guest editors provided very helpful feedback and suggestions. Jed Benjamin Byers helped copy-edit the manuscript. All remaining errors are entirely the authors’.