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Evaluation in the Extreme: Research, Impact and Politics in Violently Divided Societies

 
Editor(s)
Kenneth Bush and Colleen Duggan
Publisher(s)
SAGE Publications, IDRC
ISBN
9789351503941
e-ISBN
9781552505847

Available formats

Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in the funding of research in and on violently divided societies. But how do we know whether research makes any difference to these societies – is the impact constructive or destructive? This book is the first to systematically explore this question through a series of case studies written by those on the front lines of applied research. It offers clear and logical ways to understand the positive or negative role that research, or any other aid intervention, might have in developing societies affected by armed conflict, political unrest and/or social violence.

The editors

In Memoriam – Kenneth Bush 

Kenneth Bush was the Altajir lecturer in Post-war Recovery Studies and executive director of the Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit, University of York, UK. Very unexpectedly, on April 16, 2016, Ken passed away while visiting family in Ottawa. He was 54 years old. Ken will be remembered for his pioneering work on Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment (PCIA), which he began while at IDRC in 1998, and his on-going efforts on evaluation in conflict zones, seeking to bridge the gap between Peace and Conflict Studies and Evaluation research and practice. He worked with a broad spectrum of humanitarian, development, and peace-building organizations in the Global North and South − from community-based groups in Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland, Philippines, South Sudan, Palestine, Colombia, and Afghanistan, through to bilateral and multilateral agencies. Ken was a passionate researcher who cared deeply about the dignity of the individual. He will be greatly missed by family, colleagues, and friends.

Colleen Duggan is a senior program specialist in the Policy and Evaluation Division of the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

Contributors

Chapter Authors: Kenneth Bush, Colleen Duggan, Katherine Hay, John A. Healy, John R. Healy, Janaka Jayawickrama, Kevin Kelly, Colin Knox, Philip McDermott, Ethel Méndez, Jacqueline Strecker, Brendan S. Whitty, Zahbia Yousuf, and Sonal Zaveri 

A conversation with Colleen Duggan on the book Evaluation in the Extreme

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