Comparable and Yet Context-Sensitive? Improving Evaluation in Violently Divided Societies through Methodology

Abstract

This article shows that the current stalemate in peacebuilding evaluation is due to disagreements between donor agencies, practitioners and scholar-practitioners about the necessity, appropriate level and purpose of such evaluations. It synthesises these three axes of disagreement in a theoretical framework, which is then applied to the case of evaluating reconciliation processes in violently divided societies. This application provides a clear methodological rationale for pursuing a metrics-driven, locally anchored approach to evaluating reconciliation instead of employing interpretive methods or globally standardised checklists. Realising the potential of this approach requires that donors, practitioners and researchers recast mutual expectations based on methodological rather than normative considerations.