Dealing with stakeholder values in the evaluation of development programs: a methodological framework for mid term evaluation

In mid term program evaluations evaluators are often confronted with the double task of retrospectively judging the program's merit and worth while at the same time advising decision makers concerning future adjustments in courses of action. In such cases, it can be argued that it is particularly important that evaluators take into account the divergent views and needs of different stakeholder groups. In principle, program theory evaluation can constitute a sound basis for dealing with the double objective of retrospective judgment and proactive program improvement. However, as argued in the paper, current approaches in program theory evaluation may not be sufficiently equipped to systematically deal with divergent stakeholder values. Taking into account lessons from the literature on stakeholder values in evaluation, an alternative methodological framework is presented. The framework combines program theory evaluation with elements of multicriteria decision aid. An example is used to illustrate the framework.