Can we talk about a ‘Made in Latin America and the Caribbean’ evaluation? Some food for thought

Abstract

Background: This article affirms and confirms the existence of evaluation epistemologies and methods that are unique to Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

Objectives: Inspired by the Dr Sulley Gariba Memorial Lecture series, ‘Made in Africa Evaluation’, which has been hosted in various continents, Latin America has delved into the matter, setting out to explore the differences and similarities between us and our sister continent, Africa, and comparing our practice and worldviews with those of others in the Global South.

Method: The preliminary results of that research were used to spark debate and collective reflection at the 2022 LAC Evaluation Conference in Quito, Ecuador.

Results: The aim of this article is to share some key elements of evaluation from a decolonisation perspective that explains and denounces inequities while enabling us to imagine fairer democratic systems in LAC.

Conclusion: ReLAC – our own regional evaluation network – is proud to have spent the last 20 years strengthening the monitoring & evaluation (M&E) profession and sharing the distinctive ways that our evaluation communities experience, perceive and understand knowledge in highly diverse cultural, political, social and economic territories throughout the region.

Contribution: We show that evaluation theory and practice must begin with a study of the past, our ancestral and local cultures in order to learn from them and construct our present accordingly. We urge to face the challenge of working with respect, otherness and the dignity of communities, their peoples and territories as we build horizons of meaning for our evaluative practices.