Over the past few decades there have been dramatic shifts in the way in which middle income and low income countries have achieved economic growth and political and social change. These changes have been driven by new contexts, new actors and new ideas, in which market-oriented development have become increasingly prominent. Traditional divisions between international aid and private sector investment have begun to breakdown, with the emergence of new forms of social and environmentally responsible investments and modalities.
Evaluation practice, shaped by a dominant public sector paradigm, has not kept pace. This raises important questions about the role of evaluation, both in understanding the impact of new activities on society, as well as in supporting democratic accountability to citizens. As part of the International Year of Evaluation 2015, this Wilton Park convened meeting gave evaluation professionals, development partners, and investors an open forum to review recent evaluation experience, debate evaluation governance issues, and probe the methodological questions brought about by the market-based revolution.
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