Dr. Peter van der Knaap is director of IOB, the independent Evaluation Directorate of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and president-elect of the European Evaluation Society (EES). Prior to this, he was director of SWOV Road Safety Research Institute, director of the Performance Audit Directorate of the Netherlands Court of Audit, and Head of Evaluation Research with the Netherlands Ministry of Finance. Van der Knaap also worked at Erasmus University Rotterdam where he earned his PhD with an analysis of the impact of policy evaluation in European Union structural policy. His lifelong fascination with evaluation has led to articles and books, on evaluation in general (in Dutch) and on positive evaluation (in English). He was president of the Dutch Evaluation Society Vide from 2016 until 2022 and is member of the Editorial Advisory Board of ‘Evaluation’.
Introduction
There are numerous ways through which evaluation can contribute to the vitality and strength of democracies. EES 2026 – which will be held, for the first time, in France, in the City of Lille – will offer our community a unique and urgent opportunity to discuss and discover how this can be better understood and advanced. Celebrating over 30 years of ‘bridging theory and practice in professional evaluation in Europe’, we will focus on the way methods new and established, systemic learning perspectives, and responsive and inclusive policy evaluation can – and should! – make a significant positive contribution to vital democracies in Europe and beyond. And, hence, to the quality of life and a sustainable future.
Democracy
‘An environment that respects human rights and fundamental freedoms, and in which the freely expressed will of people is exercised.’
Few Europeans will disagree with this UN definition of democracy. Despite pressure, it is still the most common and preferred way of government in our parts of the world: Europe continues to show the highest democratic performance globally. In a democracy, people have a say in decision-making and can hold decision-makers to account. Or, in the words of the European Commission: ‘In a healthy and thriving democracy, citizens can freely express their views, choose their political leaders, and have a say about their future.’
To me, this is more than rhetoric. Freedom, rights, and a ‘contrat social’ that is based on free elections and accountability are values I hold dearly. In essence, democracy is about support, fair decisions, stability, trust and security. And this works: it is no coincidence that countries that score high on democracy, also score high in indices that express the quality of life.
Vital roles for evaluation
In a vibrant democracy, evaluation has crucial roles to play. To begin with, there are the classic roles of learning and accountability. Providing high-quality information on policy results, signaling unwanted effects, advising on possible improvements, and, increasingly, a dedication to listening to – and sometimes amplifying – minority and suppressed voices are all part of this. Irrefutably, our craft delivers a crucial contribution to this by making our findings available to the public and by bringing evaluation forward as an input to public discourse.
Prerequisites [for useful evaluation]
Vice versa, evaluation depends on democratic government to be able to perform these roles. In evaluation, like in liberal democracies, important features are the freedom of assembly, the freedom of speech, freedom of press, and independence from those in power of research and academic institutions. Like courts and legislatures, evaluation institutes and the people working as evaluators should be able to do their work without pressure, surveillance, or interference on the questions asked, the methods used, and the findings published. It need not be said, I hope, that this does include protection against unwarranted governmental deprivation of the right to life and liberty.
These are things the EES and other voluntary organizations for professional evaluation consider imperative. Our very own Evaluation Capabilities Framework clearly states: a professional and ethical evaluator ‘upholds ethical standards and democratic values in the conduct of evaluations’. Our American friends of the AEA even state that evaluators must identify and make efforts to address ‘potential threats’ when stakeholder interests conflict with the goals of a democratic, equitable, and just society.
Under pressure
Yet the democratic model – and even ideal – is under pressure worldwide. The number of autocratically governed countries around the world is on the rise, challenging the freedom and prosperity of Europe. On our continent, too, challenges in long-standing democracies as well as the serious deterioration in younger democracies serve as a reminder never to take democracy for granted. As I wrote earlier, trust in government and public confidence in the future are under pressure, especially in countries with a broad spectrum of political parties.
Important questions in this respect are: what does this ‘post-truth world’ we live in, with lesser attention to knowledge and science/research, mean for being an evaluator in 2026? Which responsibilities do we have? What does one need to know? What should be our identity? What can we learn from French philosophy? How can we help to make Europe both prosperous, inclusive, and competitive?
Central stage in ‘Lille’: methods, systems, and responsiveness
In Lille, also known as ‘Paris of the North’, democracy has ancient roots: the city held its first municipal elections in 1790. At the 16th Biennial Conference in this beautiful historic town, three ways for evaluation to contribute to vital democratic government will take central stage: (1) the well-considered use of methods new and established, (2) working from systemic learning perspectives to go beyond individual policy interventions, and (3) harvesting the force of responsive and inclusive policy evaluation.
Methods
Methods can make or break an evaluation. And these are exciting times in that respect. In addition to celebrating over 30 years – and more! – of well-established methods and their use, there are now exciting new ways to find, analyse, and use data and evidence more efficiently. Moreover, we witness the spectacular rise of artificial intelligence or AI which provides opportunities but also big challenges for the art and craft of evaluation. One thing is certain: AI will change the way we do and use evaluations forever.
System perspective
The recognition, by both policy-makers and evaluators, that for effective interventions and sustainable impact a system approach to society’s challenges is often what is needed constitutes the second theme. Instead – or, to be more precise: beyond – the concrete objectives of individual projects and interventions, here the aim is to contribute to transformational change. This raises the bar with respect to the complexity and interrelatedness of both designing and evaluating public policy. True to our dedication to combine the worlds of theory and practice, we will explore how to best navigate this promising avenue and how new methods can help.
Responsiveness
In democracies, evaluation is and should be a dynamic craft in which actors and contexts have one thing in common: constant and often unpredictable change. As any experienced evaluator will know, openness to the ever-changing perspectives and contexts is of key importance if we want to deliver relevant and actionable evaluation results. In a world – and on a continent – with increasing diversity, being able to include and sometimes even ‘empower’ different voices constitutes a strong professional asset of evaluation in 2026 and beyond. In addition, it may also be the crux in the way we as evaluators contribute to vibrant and inclusive democracies.
Living up to evaluation’s promise
Of course, as with many things in policy evaluation, these three things are interwoven and connected. Participatory approaches naturally allow for more responsiveness than many quantitative methods and individual policy interventions need a different research than comprehensive evaluations of attempts to transform entire sectors or systems.
The point is, ideally, methods and approaches supplement each other. When applied in ‘fitting’ and mutual additional ways, they can contribute to making the original promise of evaluation come true. By providing fair, high quality, and responsive information on policy results and impact – in short: by credible evidence about what works, for whom, and under what conditions – we can contribute, via decision-making, to better policies and better lives.
We believe this promise still holds true and resonates with policymakers and administrators who truly want to contribute to the quality of life and sustainable caretaking of the planet. More specifically for Europe: evaluation can help governments alike to make better policies and deliver better results, also by cutting back red tape and strengthening cooperation in the EU and beyond. True: there are challenges, like efforts to turn evaluation into merely an activist tool. We will face these challenges because, in short: the more democracy, the more opportunities to deliver on our promise.
So: let’s celebrate over 30 years of professional evaluation in Europe! Together with our members – individual and institutional –, national Evaluation Societies, our International Journal of Theory and Practice ‘Evaluation’, the Thematic Working Groups and young and emerging evaluators. Learn from experts new and old, meet colleagues, and take part in shaping professional evaluation in Europe together.
‘Shaping evaluation together in Europe’ is also the working title of the new EES strategy-in-the-making. In this respect, we at the EES Board invite every society member, individual and institutional, to join the conversation about how we can best serve your interests in the future. This is another thing we will discuss while in Lille.
By the way: the aim is also to organize a ‘fun’ conference with value-for-money, simplicity, and great social events providing ample space for networking. With freedom and inclusiveness as key ingredients…