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Presentation of TWG

Professionalism evokes expertise, credibility and concern for human welfare[1]. An occupational group cannot aspire to the professional label without public trust earned through ethical safeguards; proven capabilities; occupational self-management and credentials. To promote evaluation professionalism and to reach for excellence in evaluation practice this TWG aims to identify and promote collective actions needed within Europe and beyond. The challenge involves accelerating the harmonization of ethical, quality and capability standards, increasing the autonomy and independence of evaluators and helping to ensure that evaluators have the qualifications needed to perform quality work.

The ‘long march’ towards evaluation professionalization in Europe is well underway. There is still a long way to go and the EES thematic working group has contributed to progress along this road. TWG members recognize that evaluation has acquired distinctive characteristics as a discipline in its own right. It has developed a well-defined body of knowledge, a set of specialized skills and a host of ethical guidelines. It displays trans-disciplinary features that allow it to support all the social sciences through a well-stocked tool kit of proven methods and processes. Thankfully doctrinal conflicts that held back cohesive progress in the evaluation community have largely abated and evaluation associations are growing in number and influence.

In line with its mandate the Professionalization TWG has validated an evaluation capabilities framework, which lays out the knowledge, experience and dispositions required to do good evaluation work (EES Surveys). 

[1] Robert Picciotto, The logic of evaluation professionalism, Evaluation, 17(2) 165-180, April 2011

 

Objectives of TWG

The primary objective is to promote professionalization of evaluation within the EES.  In order to support this, the TWG4 2020 agenda is:

• Develop ethical guidelines
• Develop a plan for evaluation training, first researching what is already available
• Revive the mentorship program
• Support website development
• Contribute to planning of the EES 2021 conference

Specific Contact Person in the EES Board

Daniele Lamarque daniele.lamarque@orange.fr