What are evaluations and what is applied research?
An evaluation is a learning process that reflects on the past: in order to improve in future. Evaluations also serve as a means of verification as well as to enhance accountability. For instance, in order to ascertain how well public money has been used to achieve particular social goals.

It is not always easy to use evaluations to ‘Learn from practice’.

Presently there is a shift towards more wide-ranging and increasingly complex evaluations. More and more importance is being attached to establish learning processes and to monitor evaluation results, both at the organisational and the sectoral level.

Applied research is a similar learning process that pays a lot of attention to the exchange of ideas, experiences and to conceptualising development. Applied research often plays an important function within institutional development processes.

In practice the boundaries between evaluations, capacity-building and applied research are becoming increasingly blurred.

Why do organisations call upon South Research?
Evaluations can take place at different levels including projects, programmes, themes and sectors or a specific policy or strategy. The initiative for an evaluation may come from a single organisation, a consortium, a sector or a financial institution. South Research has considerable experience with evaluations and has built up a strong reputation in this field.

What does South Research have to offer?
South Research is able to support and assist evaluation processes. A wide range of tools and methods are tailored into a specific package for a particular task. In doing so South Research carefully considers the aims, scope and complexity of the task ahead. As such every evaluation becomes a tailor-made process. In this way South Research is able to carry out evaluations that emphasise the quantitative or qualitative effects of a programme, or place the emphasis on a participatory learning process. A mix of different methods promotes the involvement of the key stakeholders as well as the reliability of the outcome of the evaluation. Important points that have to be considered when designing, implementing and providing after-care of evaluations in a multicultural setting are gender sensitivity, avoiding biases, as well ensuring that the interests and perceptions of more powerless social groups are taken into account. Whenever possible local experts or consultants are involved in the evaluation. Every evaluation is part of a wider process of quality improvement. The process of analysing evaluation results in order to develop meaningful new practices and policies needs to be seen as an integral part of evaluation design.

Conditions for success
Evaluations are only successful if the aims and issues they are supposed to address are clearly identified and accepted by all stakeholders. A good balance between involvement and independence, a flexible and interactive approach, a mixture of research methods and attention to feedback will strongly support the validity and ultimate use of the findings.