Letter to the editor
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Letter to the Editor MICHAEL HENDRICKS Dear Editor: We have formed an evaluation group in New Delhi, India, and we want to solicit input for the readers of Evaluation Practice to help us in our development. But first, let me tell you about what is going on. Along with its breathtaking landscapes and striking architecture, modern India also has a large number of enormously talented applied social researchers. Even though few of these researchers would label himself or herself as primarily an “evaluator,” many of them do, in fact, conduct evaluation work on a daily basis. Until recently, however, there was no structured way for these Indian evaluators to learn the latest developments in the field, share their experiences with other evaluators, or discuss common problems. To help remedy this gap, several of us have begun to meet every month or so in New Delhi. We call ourselves the Active Association of Growing Evaluators, a bit of a strange name until you realize that it forms the acronym AAGE (“aah-gay”)-the Hindi word for “ahead, forward’. That’s exactly where we evaluators want to take India’s many social programs for its needy citizens. We want to move both ourselves and India ahead, forward. We are still in our infancy, but we already have the active participation of about fifteen senior professionals from consulting firms and research institutes; respected management training institutions; the Federal Planning Commission; relief organiza- tions such as CARE, Catholic Relief Services, and PLAN International: and donor organizations such as USAID and the World Bank. Anyone is welcome to join us, but we actively recruit only Indian evaluators, since we firmly believe in strengthening India’s own capability for self-improvement. After an initial period of searching, we seem to have found an effective format for our ninety-minute meetings. As a group we choose beforehand a topic of interest, then we all read a common document on that topic. For our latest meeting we read the GAO’s Michael Hendrkks * U.S. Embassy, New Lklhi, Department of Agriculhm, Washington, DC. Evaluation Pmdice. Vol. 13, No. 1.1590. pp. 233-234. Copyright 0 1992 by JAI Pms. Inc. ISSN: 0886-1633 All tights of reproduction in any form reserved. 233
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Transcript of Letter to the editor
Letter to the Editor
MICHAEL HENDRICKS
Dear Editor:
We have formed an evaluation group in New Delhi, India, and we want to solicit input for the readers of Evaluation Practice to help us in our development. But first, let me tell you about what is going on.
Along with its breathtaking landscapes and striking architecture, modern India also has a large number of enormously talented applied social researchers. Even though few of these researchers would label himself or herself as primarily an “evaluator,” many of them do, in fact, conduct evaluation work on a daily basis. Until recently, however, there was no structured way for these Indian evaluators to learn the latest developments in the field, share their experiences with other evaluators, or discuss common problems. To help remedy this gap, several of us have begun to meet every month or so in New Delhi.
We call ourselves the Active Association of Growing Evaluators, a bit of a strange name until you realize that it forms the acronym AAGE (“aah-gay”)-the Hindi word for “ahead, forward’. That’s exactly where we evaluators want to take India’s many social programs for its needy citizens. We want to move both ourselves and India ahead, forward.
We are still in our infancy, but we already have the active participation of about fifteen senior professionals from consulting firms and research institutes; respected management training institutions; the Federal Planning Commission; relief organiza- tions such as CARE, Catholic Relief Services, and PLAN International: and donor organizations such as USAID and the World Bank. Anyone is welcome to join us, but we actively recruit only Indian evaluators, since we firmly believe in strengthening India’s own capability for self-improvement.
After an initial period of searching, we seem to have found an effective format for our ninety-minute meetings. As a group we choose beforehand a topic of interest, then we all read a common document on that topic. For our latest meeting we read the GAO’s
Michael Hendrkks * U.S. Embassy, New Lklhi, Department of Agriculhm, Washington, DC.
Evaluation Pmdice. Vol. 13, No. 1.1590. pp. 233-234. Copyright 0 1992 by JAI Pms. Inc.
ISSN: 0886-1633 All tights of reproduction in any form reserved.
233
234 MICHAEL HENDRICKS
1990 methodology transfer paper of “The Prospective Evaluation Synthesis”. Follow- ing a brief overview and commentary by one of our members, we have a general, free-wheeling discussion. Anyone who knows the intelligence and articulateness of Indian professionals will have no doubt that we have some lively discussions!
For the moment we are self-sufficient and inner-focused, but we are fully aware of the 1995 International Congress on Evaluation, and we certainly hope to participate as fully as possible. In addition, since we are geographically removed from some of the latest developments in the field we need your help to identify materials we should study and discuss. If you know of a document which represents an important recent development in evaluation, please send one copy to our recording secretary at either of the addresses below. And please watch this space for more news from AAGE as we grow and develop!
Michael Hendricks U.S. Embassy, New Delhi Department of Agriculture Washington, DC 20250-9000
or Michael Hendricks 413 Shanti Niketan New Delhi 100 021 India
