Participatory evaluation: Issues and concerns

Abstract

Anil Choudhary and Dr. Rajesh Tandon present a compilation of PRIA's practice and reflection on participatory evaluation, drawn from years of work with grassroots organizations across India. The book distinguishes participatory evaluation from conventional, externally driven evaluation models, defining it as a developmental and educational process controlled by the people whose programs, organizations, or perspectives are being assessed. The authors lay out the steps involved in planning and conducting such an exercise, from setting objectives through to data collection, analysis, and the evolving of action plans. Eight case studies illustrate this methodology, covering a women's savings program in Tamil Nadu, a partner-group organizing effort in West Bengal, a preschool program in Andhra Pradesh, and other initiatives with a primary focus on organization or perspective. A closing section takes up recurring questions in the field, including the difference between methodology and method, who should participate, the role of donors and outside facilitators, and the importance of separating evaluation from funding decisions. Throughout, the authors hold that participatory evaluation rests on faith in people's capacity to reflect on and improve their own work and that its purpose is to strengthen, not regulate, the organizations and movements it examines.