Bridging Divides and Creating Opportunities in International Evaluation Consulting

In: New directions for evaluation: a publication of the American Evaluation Association, Volume 2019, Issue 164, p. 127-139

Abstract

AbstractDemand for evaluators in the international development evaluation field is high and opportunities for rewarding work abound. Yet, as part of their activities, evaluation consultants working internationally must constantly grapple with divides of geography, language, culture, gender, privilege, and power. This chapter presents the international consultant profile and context on evaluation in international development. The authors discuss common competencies used and required by international evaluation consultants. A discussion covers the different boundaries, or divides, that consultants must navigate, and how overcoming them is a way of building bridges and trust, increasing the effectiveness of evaluations in international settings, and enhancing evaluators' practice, both professionally and personally. The authors present multiple examples of sociocultural and politically sensitive circumstances to illustrate divides previously encountered. They draw on 30 years of experience in international development and evaluation in over fifty countries across six continents.