SEVAL Annual Conference 2015 and Pre-Conference for the International Year of Evaluation 2015

Overview

SEVAL Annual Conference 2015 Evaluation and Independence In order for evaluation to serve as a rational decision-making basis for changes in politics, programmes, projects or institutions, it should be – in line with traditional consideration – as scientific, objective and independent as possible. The need for independent knowledge and research was the trigger for the creation of specialised evaluation services. The latters’ independence is often enshrined in law and in institutional rules.

Recent surveys in various countries have shown, however, that evaluators are under pressure from various stakeholder groups. The independence of evaluation is not only called into question in evaluation practice, but also in evaluation theory. New approaches to evaluation emphasise stronger participation of interested and affected parties in the evaluation process. The question of what kind of influence is ethically right or wrong is a controversial one in the evaluation community.

At the Conference, we will examine the independence of evaluation in practice. Moreover, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Parliamentary Control of the Administration – the evaluation service of the Swiss Parliament – we will address the question of the institutional independence of evaluation services. We will also look at the bigger picture, examining the status of the independence of evaluation in Switzerland in an international perspective.

To mark the International Year of Evaluation, we will welcome the international organisations in Geneva to our Congress. On Thursday, 3 September 2015, the "Geneva Evaluation Network" (GEN) will hold a pre-conference on "Evaluation Challenges for International Organizations: Capacity Development for Relevant and Utilization-Focused Evaluation", which members of the Swiss Evaluation Society (SEVAL) are very welcome to attend (see programme page 9).

Registration until 7 August 2015 on http://www.seval.ch/en/veranstaltungen/index.cfm

Please click here for conference details.

 

Event Details

Lead Organization

Type

  • Conference/ Symposium

Region/Country

  • Europe/CIS / Switzerland

Start Date

  • 04 Sep 2015

End Date

  • 04 Sep 2015

All Day Event

  • Yes

Contact Person