Reframing Evaluation: Complexity, Systems, and Transformation
Mesa redonda | En línea
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Organizado por:
International Evaluation Academy
Sobre el evento
This panel will discuss the critical need to adopt a systems thinking approach to transform the praxis of evaluation in the context of the polycrisis we are living in. Linear outcome focused approaches are increasingly challenged by today’s interconnected social and ecological crises (the polycrisis), where interventions interact with wider systems shaped by feedback loops, resource flows, uncertainty, and emergent change. Linear models struggle to capture these dynamics or to support learning across complex systems. This panel will shift the needle, moving on from linear models to systems driven approaches. It will combine conceptual insights, practitioners perspectives from Three Horizons study undertaken by the evaluation academy, field level insights of praxis from three contexts across the globe and a conceptual framework for embedding systems thinking in the evaluation cycle. Panelists will debate how, systems thinking is not a replacement for existing approaches and explore how it can enhance and extend evaluation practice, making it more responsive to complexity and more relevant to decision-making in dynamic contexts.
Beginning with an understanding of what systems thinking is, this panel will focus on key questions namely
• What is the gap systems approaches can fill?
• How do evaluations change when we adopt systems perspectives?
• What are the practical steps for evaluators and commissioners to adopt a systems thinking lens
Through these questions, the need of evaluations to adopt and embrace systems thinking will not just be established but elaborated through examples to understand How can system thinking be incorporated into evaluation practice. Thus, the panel discussion will focus on a practical conceptual framework that links widely recognised systems principles with concrete evaluation choices across the policy and evaluation lifecycle. The panelist will explore and discuss this framework that is grounded in current systems thinking and complexity literature and informed by multiple traditions in evaluation, including theory-based, participatory, and learning-oriented approaches.
This discussion on adoption and practical application of a systems thinking lens in evaluation is linked to the changing need for rigorous evaluation that provides accountability in response to the uncertainty in the current policy environment. Systems approaches and its praxis provide a critical and innovative lens which aligns with Evaluation, Evidence, and Trust in the Age of AI (the theme of GLOCAL 2026). The examples presented in this panel will also address various sub-thematic areas evaluation and climate action, evaluation in fragile settings and participation and evaluation. In addition, the methodological framework and AI supported analysis along with the Three Horizon study findings will provide real world examples of adopting systems approaches giving practitioners who join a space to engage honestly in a discussion about trust and quality in this process of change, volatility and polycrisis.
Beginning with an understanding of what systems thinking is, this panel will focus on key questions namely
• What is the gap systems approaches can fill?
• How do evaluations change when we adopt systems perspectives?
• What are the practical steps for evaluators and commissioners to adopt a systems thinking lens
Through these questions, the need of evaluations to adopt and embrace systems thinking will not just be established but elaborated through examples to understand How can system thinking be incorporated into evaluation practice. Thus, the panel discussion will focus on a practical conceptual framework that links widely recognised systems principles with concrete evaluation choices across the policy and evaluation lifecycle. The panelist will explore and discuss this framework that is grounded in current systems thinking and complexity literature and informed by multiple traditions in evaluation, including theory-based, participatory, and learning-oriented approaches.
This discussion on adoption and practical application of a systems thinking lens in evaluation is linked to the changing need for rigorous evaluation that provides accountability in response to the uncertainty in the current policy environment. Systems approaches and its praxis provide a critical and innovative lens which aligns with Evaluation, Evidence, and Trust in the Age of AI (the theme of GLOCAL 2026). The examples presented in this panel will also address various sub-thematic areas evaluation and climate action, evaluation in fragile settings and participation and evaluation. In addition, the methodological framework and AI supported analysis along with the Three Horizon study findings will provide real world examples of adopting systems approaches giving practitioners who join a space to engage honestly in a discussion about trust and quality in this process of change, volatility and polycrisis.
Presentador/a
| Nombre | Título | Biografía |
|---|---|---|
| Liliana Lucaciu | • Liliana is an evaluation specialist in adaptive policies, systems, and learning, with over 25 years of experience working across the European Union and neighbouring regions. She holds a PhD in Cybernetics and Statistics and has led and coordinated complex evaluation, monitoring, and strategic planning assignments for European institutions, international organisations, and national governments. Her experience is grounded in EU policies (cohesion, neighbourhood, international partnership and development) with a focus on regional development, large infrastructure programmes, education, social inclusion, migration, and institutional reform. She is co-leader of the European Evaluation Society’s Thematic Working Group on Systems Approaches in Evaluation. | |
| Anna Maria Augustyn | • Anna Maria is a senior evaluation consultant with over two decades of experience at international, national, and local levels. She has worked on evaluation assignments in climate change, research and innovation, agriculture, and digital transformation, collaborating with the European Commission, the World Bank, and UN entities. She is an author and contributor to several evaluation guidelines and handbooks, including for the European Commission, the Adaptation Fund, and the European Evaluation Helpdesk for Rural Development. Her work spans standard and innovative evaluation methods, including systems approaches, with strong expertise in environment, climate, access to climate finance, particularly in Europe and Asia. |
Moderador/a
| Nombre | Título | Biografía |
|---|---|---|
| Amrita Gupta | Amrita is an independent evaluation professional with 20 years of experience in mixed-methods research, monitoring and evaluation, and policy review, with a strong focus on advancing gender equality, women’s health, and economic opportunities. She holds a Master’s in Public Health, Health Policy, Economics and Finance, and a Master’s in Sociology. Currently an evaluation consultant, she leads national and global evaluations on care policy, education, youth, and women’s leadership and skills. She is a core team member of the Gender & Equity Network South Asia (GENSA), a member of the Evaluation Community of India and APEA’s Partnerships Thematic Group, and an IPDET 2024 alumna. |