Evaluating Communication for Development: A Framework for Social Change

by Lennie; June

• ISBN13: 9780415522595
• ISBN10: 0415522595
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2013-01-30
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Evaluating Communication for Development presents the latest thinking and detailed descriptions and critiques of a number of important trends, challenges and approaches associated with evaluating, researching and assessing the impacts of international development programs focussed on social change through communication for development (C4D). It critiques dominant instrumental, accountability-based approaches to development and evaluation and offers an alternative holistic, participatory, mixed methods approach based on systems and complexity thinking, and other key concepts and principles that are considered more effective and appropriate in the long-term, in terms of achieving sustainable change. This is supported by examples and case studies from a number of action research and participatory evaluation projects undertaken over the past 15 years by the authors. Building on current arguments within the field of C4D, the authors reinforce the case for effective communication being a central and vital component of participatory forms of development, something that needs to be appreciated by decision makers. They also consider ways of increasing the effectiveness of evaluation capacity development from grassroots to management level in the development context, an issue of growing importance to improving the quality, effectiveness and utilisation of monitoring and evaluation studies in this field. The book includes a critical review of the key approaches, methodologies and methods (participatory, qualitative and quantitative) that are considered effective for planning impact evaluations and assessing the impacts of C4D programs. Strategies for implementing both the conceptual and methodological parts of this framework are proposed which attempt to address the challenges and issues identified, and which ensures the framework is both theoretical and practical in its application.