Enhancing evaluation use: Insights from internal evaluation units

This book, co-edited by Marlène Läubli Loud and John Mayne, offers invaluable insights from real evaluators who share strategies they have adopted through their own experiences in evaluation.

It discusses a number of challenges, solutions, and lessons drawn from the experience of evaluators working in a wide range of organisations. Contributors discuss factors that help or undermine attempts to foster evaluative thinking and learning culture within an organisation.

This resource and the following information was contributed by Patricia Rogers.

Authors and their affiliation

Editors:

• Marlène Läubli Loud
• John Mayne

Contributors:

• Bastiaan de Laat
• Penny Hawkins
• Erica Wimbush
• Nancy Porteous and Steve Montague
• Bastiaan de Laat and Kevin Williams
• Maria Santamaria, Alan Schnur, and Deepak Thapa
• Janet Neubecker, Matthew Ripley, and Craig Russon
• Marlène Läubli Loud
• John Mayne

Key features

This is an important area of evaluation practice which is not so well documented or analysed, as most evaluation books focus on conducting a single evaluation. This book offers a framework for thinking about the work of an internal evaluation unit, the different ways it can be structured and its possible different roles, from conducting evaluations, being a central point for managing external evaluations, or providing expert review and assistance to program managers with or without gatekeeping authority,  The numerous case studies of different organisations are rich in detail and provide lots of ideas for effective design and management of internal evaluation units.

How have you used or intend on using this resource?

I would use it to inform recommendations and advice about how to design and manage an internal evaluation unit, including developing examples of options in terms of scope, role and authority,

Why would you recommend it to other people?

I would recommend it for conceptual frameworks to think about the role of internal evaluation units, and for examples that illustrate the range of options of how this might be done.  Hopefully this variety would help people to select or adapt options that are most suitable for their context.