Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

The Friday Funny: Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide!

A frequent theme here on Genuine Evaluation is appropriate reporting. Not just getting the facts right, but reporting them in a non-misleading way. Along those lines, check out this classic, in which all the information is technically correct, but …

Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide

(author unknown)

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of

Read the whole post –> The Friday Funny: Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide!

Genuine evaluation-related workshops and presentations over the next few months

One of the great sources of energy and ideas for both of us is the opportunity to give workshops and presentations on topics related to genuine evaluation. It’s great to be able to spend time with so many people who care passionately about doing evaluation that really makes a difference, and want to

Read the whole post –> Genuine evaluation-related workshops and presentations over the next few months

Finding THE best way

Yet another study announced which aims to find “the” best way – this time the best way to treat anorexia nervosa.  As reported in The Age:

Australian researchers will conduct a world-first study to find the optimal treatment for the debilitating, and often deadly, disorder anorexia nervosa. Around one in five people, usually women,

Read the whole post –> Finding “the best” way

Managing genuine evaluation paradoxes: Genuine reporting

In reponse to the earlier post on genuine evaluation snippets from around the globe, Irene Guijt raised a very important question about the tensions between several hallmarks of genuine evaluation:

Some important contrasts presented but also one that doesn’t entirely align – tell the whole story but cut to the chase? Include activities,

Read the whole post –> Managing genuine evaluation paradoxes: Genuine reporting

Evaluation and complexity

I’ve recently been running workshops on purposeful program theory in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. It’s been a great treat to explore with so many different people how we might develop, represent and use program theory for policies and programs that have significant complicated or complex aspects

It’s an issue I’ve

Read the whole post –> Evaluation and complexity

The Friday Funny - community evaluation of bike lanes

This week brings together two issues that seem to be recurring themes in genuine evaluation – dealing with making mistakes and community involvement in evaluation processes. Check out these sites on the world’s worst cycle

Read the whole post –> The Friday Funny: Community evaluation of bike lanes

More utterly uncritical media reporting of evaluation

As an evaluator, or even as an interested member of the public, what very basic fundamental information would you expect to see in a newspaper article that kicked off like this?

Chiefs get good marks even if departments don’t

Public sector leaders are mostly embracing challenges thrown to them by the Government, though at least one is “lost at sea”, a report says.

The Trans Tasman Media report, which ranks government agencies and bosses, has found that chief executives are generally performing better than their departments.

Read the whole post –> More utterly uncritical media reporting of evaluation

An apple a day - or cherry-picking the studies?

Why can’t newspapers be more critical when they report findings from research and evaluation, and provide easy links to more details?

A new study by researchers from Australia’s major government research instution (the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation – CSIRO) , reviewing the health effects of eating apples, has received the usual standard of reporting

Read the whole post –> An apple a day – or cherry-picking the studies?

User generated content - webinar and mapping software

One of the future trends for evaluation that I anticipate is increasing frequency and importance (and hopefully quality) of user-generated content.  Here are two interesting resources related to this:

1.  Webinar on user -generated content.

Thursday, 8 July 2010, 16:00 – 17:00 CEST (GMT +1, Amsterdam – Netherlands)
NB: “Doors” will OPEN for attendees to enter at

Read the whole post –> User generated content – webinar and mapping software

The risks of focusing on the easy-to-measure

Some more developments in UK development funding, an issue we looked at in a post a few weeks ago.

Lawrence Haddad, Director of the Institute for Development Studies has  an interesting article in the Guardian in response to David Cameron’s statements on international aid.

The best ways to deliver overseas aid are often not easy to

Read the whole post –> The risks of focusing on the easy-to-measure