Conference programme

Better Together:
collaborative thought and action for better evaluation

The world is in a state of polycrisis, facing urgent challenges like environmental degradation, social injustice, and economic instability. These complex issues require new approaches beyond siloed, linear thinking. Collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and perspectives is essential to develop innovative, inclusive solutions.

At the EES-2024 Better Together conference, we will explore how collaboration can lead to more effective, transformative evaluation and social change. This event offers a timely opportunity to leverage the diverse experience of the EES community to reframe evaluation and promote positive impact.

Three Strands Focused on Collaboration in Evaluation

1_
Action

This strand brings together the distinct perspectives of evaluation commissioners, evaluated parties, evaluation users, and evaluators to understand linkages in their experiences with a common issue or subject. Sessions will provide a space to articulate how different evaluation actors have uniquely different vantage points when faced with the same problem, process, or product.

 

2_
Thinking

This strand centers on integrating methodology with theoretical, socio-political, philosophical, and ethical considerations to address real-world issues. Sessions will examine how distinct worldviews and ethical concerns can shape methodological approaches to problem-solving. The goal is to advance understanding of how philosophical frameworks informs methodological choices.

 

3_
Practice

This strand focuses on intersectoral collaboration engaging experts across fields to solve complex societal problems like climate change, inequality, and health. Sessions will identify how diverse sectors can work together to evaluate and address shared goals for transformative change.

 

Emphasis on Inclusion

We aim to include diverse voices, with a focus on young evaluators, the Global South, and intersectional perspectives.

 

Innovative Session Formats

We will continue recent innovations like lunchtime sessions
to enable attendee choice while reducing parallel tracks.

 

  • Papers
  • Panels
  • “Meet the Evaluation” discussions
  • “Solution Focused” workshops
  • Fishbowl dialogues
  • Poster sessions