evaluation in the post-truth world

Evaluation in the Post-Truth World explores the relationship between the nature of evaluative knowledge, the increasing demand in decision-making for evaluation and other forms of research evidence, and the post-truth phenomena of antiscience sentiments combined with illiberal tendencies of the present day. Rather than offer a checklist on how to deal with post-truth, the experts found herein wish to raise awareness and reflection throughout policy circles on the factors that influence our assessment and policy-related work in such a challenging environment. Journeying alongside the editor and contributors, readers benefit from three guiding questions to help identify specific challenges but tools to deal with such challenges: How are policy problems conceptualized in the current political climate? What is the relationship between expertise and decision-making in today’s political circumstances? How complex has evaluation become as a social practice?

Evaluation in the Post-Truth World will benefit evaluation practitioners at the program and project levels, as well as policy analysts and scholars interested in applications of evaluation in the public policy domain.

Mita Marra is Associate Professor of Political Economics at the University of Naples in Italy and Visiting Professor of Comparative Public Policy at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration of the George Washington University (2016-present). Her current research interests revolve around the evaluation of performance-based governance systems within public sector specifically regarding university’s third mission and innovation ecosystems and museums and cultural heritage sites. Dr. Marra has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals such as American Journal of Evaluation, Evaluation, Systems Research and Behavioral Science and European Urban and Regional Studies. She is Editor in Chief for the international peer-reviewed journal Evaluation and Program Planning (2015-present) and Past President of the Italian Evaluation Association (AIV, 2013-2017).

Karol Olejniczak is Associate Professor of Public Policy at SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland, and co-founder of the Polish policy research company, Evaluation for Government Organizations (EGO s.c.). He was an Ostroms’ Policy Analysis Workshop fellow (2006), Kosciuszko Foundation fellow (2012), and Fulbright fellow (2021). Dr. Olejniczak’s work focuses on the intersection of policy design and evaluation, and the use of evidence in decision making. In his research and teaching, he utilizes games, experiments, and behavioral design. He has published the six-volume series Ministerstwa Uczace Sie (Learning Ministries), and articles in scientific journals such as the American Journal of Evaluation, Policy Design and Practice, and Policy and Politics.

Arne Paulson pursued a career in international development, working as an economist in a number of international organizations, including the World Bank, UNCTAD (Geneva), the International Energy Agency (Paris), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), from which he retired in 2007. At the IDB, he worked in all aspects of evaluation, including ex-ante economic evaluation, ongoing monitoring of projects in execution, and ex-post evaluation of completed projects financed by the IDB. At the corporate level, he reported on the overall development effectiveness of IDB operations to the bank’s board of directors and at international conferences.