The Big Push Forward

This website provides a range of resources and discussion about approaches for assessing transformative development processes. Featuring a series of blog posts that focus on debate and exploration of contested issues such as hard evidence, rigorous data, conclusive proof, value for money and evidence-based policy. 

Excerpt

"What we are doing

• Exploring the degree to which narrowly defined evaluation methodologies may be negatively affecting donor capacity to support transformative development;
• Alerting development practitioners to the politics of evidence:  how power is associated with certain ways of knowing that are shaping and constraining evaluation approaches;
• Working with practitioners to develop appropriate and utility focused approaches to assessing value for money that encourage learning and reflect their values and theories of change
• Analysing how bureaucratic practices can result in over-bearing, even oppressive management regimes that oblige grantees to use tools and methods inappropriate to what they are trying to achieve and which prevent learning and adaptation;
• Identifying and sharing strategies to expand the space for grantees and funders to experiment with and adopt additional, useful approaches to assess and report on international aid programmes and projects in support of transformative development. 
• Tapping into practitioners’ energy – encouraging collective efforts to make development programmes work for social justice." (The Big Push Forward, 2013)