WE ARE MEASURING EVALUATION CAPACITIES IN COUNTRIES IN THE REGION, WILL YOU HELP US?

Some of the EvalParticipativa member entities such as Techo, ReLAC, DEval or PETAS, have participated in a working group since 2018 to create an index to measure each country’s evaluation capacities.

This index, based on 76 indicators, has been named INCE and is highly useful for guiding how evaluation is developed at national level. It is also useful for academic production, identifying good practices, opening up opportunities for collaboration within and between nationals, etc.

The participation of Techo and other social organisations in the working group has enabled civil society’s perspective to be integrated into the definitions of the dimensions that make up the INCE. This collective, important and fundamental in how evaluation develops in reality, is also expected to participate in the periodic measurements that are taken in the region’s countries that request it.

Last 2020, the first measurements were taken in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. And in 2021, measurements have begun in Guatemala, Peru and Uruguay. Each country’s measurements are taken biannually and it is hoped that INCE’s coverage will be progressively extended to the rest of the region’s countries.

This post, directed to the EvalParticipativa community, is an invitation for its member organisations “to tell us” how they perceive evaluation in the countries where they operate. Would your organisation be interested in collaborating in these measurements and having your opinions taken into account when the data is interpreted and used in each respective country?

One of the many things that are being demonstrated in the EvalParticipativa community is that evaluation in general (and participatory evaluation in particular) is not an instrument designed for the exclusive use of public institutions and cooperation agencies. Civil society organisations are a key group for the development agenda and they also use evaluation as an instrument to guide and strengthen their contribution. For this reason, it is important to count on their implication in the INCE initiative. In turn, we understand it to be an opportunity for social organisations to go beyond using evaluation as an instrument and impact how the evaluation ecosystem is shaped and developed.

Participation is carried out through a questionnaire that entities fill out (it is not responded to by individuals) with the guidance of two consultants who collaborate with the INCE initiative. It includes evaluative questions and it is only necessary to respond to those questions that each organisation is familiar with.

If you are interested in finding out more about the questionnaires, measurements or the incorporation of your respective country in the INCE, do not hesitate to contact Juan Carlos Sanz (juan.sanz@deval.org). We will be pleased to provide information on the situation in the corresponding country and, if desired, we can deliberate together on the best strategy for incorporating your organisations into the initiative.