Seventeenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

The rise of ‘evidence-based’ Development Cooperation has provoked two concerns in academia and practice: Firstly, the existing body of evaluation research is predominantly quantitative, which risk portraying false objectivity. Secondly, such studies overemphasize accountability at the cost of learning. Hence, this exploratory study aims to firstly, explore underlying assumptions of evaluators and secondly, refocus attention to learning by analysing an evaluation’s follow-up. To this end, the study is set within the Evaluation Department of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Evaluation Department is a quintessential setting, historically being the first agency to evaluate government spending on Development Cooperation. The study employs a triangulation design, using semi-structured interviews with evaluators and policymakers, and participant observations. A subsequent content analysis reveals the backgrounds and preferences of evaluators to be principally qualitative and shows how a case study evaluation is used to foster learning within the Ministry. In doing so, the study contributes to existing literature by nuancing the image of evaluators as predominantly quantitative, and shows how an evaluation could stimulate learning by analysing the learning efforts policymakers take in its aftermath. Finally, this study offers recommendations for IOB and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hopefully contributing to improved learning, and hence performance of their Development Cooperation endeavours.