Local Ownership in Evaluation: Moving from Participant Inclusion to Ownership in Evaluation Decision Making

This briefing paper explores how local ownership can be extended to evaluation processes, not just programme design or delivery. It argues that affected communities should be co-owners of evaluations, with a meaningful role in deciding what is evaluated, how quality is judged, and how findings are interpreted and used.

Key features

The paper looks at how local ownership can be extended to evaluation processes, not just programme design or delivery. It argues that affected communities should play a central role in setting evaluation questions, deciding how success is measured, and interpreting the findings, so that evaluation becomes a genuinely shared process.

This is a short, accessible briefing (21 pages) that clearly explains the difference between participant inclusion and true ownership. It offers a framework for how organisations and donors can rethink evaluation decision-making and shows why local ownership is key for relevance, effectiveness and sustainability.

What is particularly helpful about the resource, and in what ways have you used it?

What makes this resource especially useful is the way it challenges tokenistic approaches and links evaluation practice to broader localisation and accountability agendas. It can be used as a discussion starter in workshops, and as a reference point when engaging donors and partners in conversations about shifting power in evaluation.

Why would you recommend the resource to other people?

This paper is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants their evaluations to move beyond consultation towards genuine local ownership, making them more relevant, credible and likely to be used.

Resource recommendation text provided by Alice Macfarlan.