The art and science of developmental and advocacy evaluation: Fid-Bau Portal

The art and science of developmental and advocacy evaluation

Taddy‐Sandino, Sonia / Saltzman, Anna / Spilker, Shayla

Over the past 15 years, the field of advocacy and policy change (APC) evaluation has evolved considerably in terms of refining the purpose and methods of this type of evaluation. At the same time, the dynamic nature of APC work requires evaluators to draw upon a range of evaluation approaches, including systems thinking, developmental evaluation, and participatory evaluation, among others. Developmental evaluation is particularly well‐suited for an APC context given its focus on documenting complexity and establishing frequent feedback loops. Previous research has highlighted the value of APC and developmental evaluation approaches and the methods that can be used for each one (i.e., the science of these types of evaluations). However, less guidance exists on how evaluators can navigate the dance between APC and developmental evaluation methods and the mindset needed to simultaneously draw upon the strengths of each one (i.e., the art of doing APC and developmental evaluations simultaneously). This chapter fills that gap by exploring the interplay between APC and developmental evaluation through the lens of one case study. In 2017, Engage R+D embarked on an evaluation of an initiative—funded by The California Endowment—to defend and protect the health and well‐being of Californians, particularly immigrants and other vulnerable populations. The chapter includes an overview of this case example; a description of how we applied developmental evaluation principles; considerations for methods, data collection, and analysis; and a description of how we approached utilization of evaluative information. It concludes with considerations for the field.