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EVALUATING AS A MEANS TO ACHIEVE DEVELOPMENT ENDS
Author(s) -
Everitt Angela,
Mare Ann Le
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of international development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1099-1328
pISSN - 0954-1748
DOI - 10.1002/jid.2849
Subject(s) - value (mathematics) , development (topology) , epistemology , development theory , psychology , sociology , positive economics , management science , engineering ethics , computer science , economics , economic growth , mathematical analysis , philosophy , mathematics , machine learning , engineering
This article considers the distinction between, first, doing research and having research findings and, second, giving value to those findings, making evaluative judgements about the research. Although there is a great deal of analysis on how to do research, there is less attention to making explicit the range of values which inform evaluative judgements and match various individual and institutions interests in the research findings. We argue that processes of evaluation should be thought of as developmental and, if based on the values of the development initiative, become one of the ‘means’ through which development goals are established, contributing to shared outcomes that are the ‘ends’ of development. This article is a contribution to understanding the valuing of research findings by discussing ways to facilitate these processes and suggesting a number of practical steps that can contribute to making evaluation a ‘means’ to development ‘ends’. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.