The Future of Evaluation: Global Trends, New Challenges and Shared Perspectives

Abstract

During the last decades, evaluation has become an important instrument for rational governance, which is used in a broad variety of countries and policy fields throughout the world. The scope of application ranges from contributing to accountability, developing and planning programs to reflexive observations, formative procedures and summative assessments of social changes. In general, the history of evaluation is a remarkable and globally effective success story. It is hard to find another academic approach which has been diffused with comparable success.