Equitable evaluation: Voices from the Global South

This book aims to drive conversation about "the role of evaluation in addressing inequality and fostering an equitable society in Africa".

Inequality is persistent and prevalent across Africa. Certain populations have been unfairly and unjustly deprived of resources due to social context. Equitable evaluation can be used to advance equity, emphasising "that context, culture, history and beliefs shape the nature of evaluations."

"The key question that this book raises for all of us is: how can our practice and study of evaluation shift the needle and achieve equity and equality for all?"

The book explores a wide range of topics related to equitable evaluation and approaches to address inequality and inequity. Key questions include:

  1. Take stock of what we know about inequality – what is inequality in the African context, and how does it affect the lives of the citizens of African countries?
  2. What does equitable evaluation mean? In what way can the concept of equitable evaluation be adopted in evaluation practice?
  3. What lessons can be learnt from evaluations of interventions that address inequality at various (sectoral, programmatic and project) levels?
  4. What epistemological transformation in evaluation practice is needed to achieve an equitable society?
  5. How have issues of inequality manifested within evaluation practice through organisations, institutions and international development?

Contents of Equitable Evaluation: Voice from the Global South

  • Chapter 1: Inequality through the evaluation lens
  • Chapter 2: Holding space for social justice and equity: The relational work of evaluators implementing a Made in Africa Evaluation approach
  • Chapter 3: Programme evaluation as a reflection and perpetuator of inequality in the global political economy
  • Chapter 4: ‘Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?’ Un(masking) inequality by international institutions
  • Chapter 5: Unlocking climate change adaptation injustice through using intersectional analysis as an evaluation approach
  • Chapter 6: ‘Whose agenda is it?’ Reframing equity and justice in the evaluation of climate-smart agriculture
  • Chapter 7: Rethinking how gender inequality is framed in GBV prevention interventions: Learnings from a South African evaluation of interventions
  • Chapter 8: The role of evaluation practice in promoting the prioritisation of mental health equity on the public health agenda in Africa
  • Chapter 9: Mechanisms and strategies perpetuating evaluative inequalities in policy practice in Zimbabwe
  • Chapter 10: Why emphasis on randomised controlled trials is a flawed approach to evaluation for a more equitable society
  • Chapter 11: Transformative Equity: Promoting systemic change through a new evaluation criterion
  • Chapter 12: Evaluation in service of equity? A synthesis of the conceptualisation of inequality and evaluation approaches to address inequality

Sources

Masvaure, S., Chirau, T.J., Fish, T. & Morkel, C. (Eds.). (2023). Equitable Evaluation: Voices from the Global South. African Perspectives Book Series, vol. 1, AOSIS Books, Cape Town. Retrieved from: https://books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/catalog/book/459