The Road Toward Institutionalizing Evaluation in Developing Countries: Following the Path of Ray Rist

Abstract

Background: This paper traces Ray Rist’s many and varied contributions to evaluation capacity development (ECD) through the 2000s so as to provide a global perspective on his contribution towards institutionalizing evaluation in developing countries.

 Purpose: The intent is to not only acknowledge the various ways that Ray Rist has supported countries in their institutionalizing of evaluation, but to also reflect on the various dimensions associated with building an effective and sustainable national monitoring and evaluation system (NMES), and, in so doing, draw lessons for new and emerging evaluators from the Ray Rist experience.

Setting: The early 2000s saw a major change in international development evaluation, as a new paradigm was emerging based on country ownership of evaluation and evaluation capacity that is linked to the national vision of the country, accountability, and good governance. This would require a new evaluation architecture centred around institutionalizing evaluation, and a different approach to ECD. 

Intervention: Not applicable

Research design: The framework used in examining the various contributions of Ray Rist recognizes four broad building blocks to support countries develop and institutionalize their NMES – vision of leadership, enabling environment, technical capacity to supply monitoring and evaluation (M&E) information, and capacity to demand and use M&E information. All influence how far and how fast institutionalization of evaluation would occur at a country level (UNEG 2012; Lahey 2013; Lahey 2015).

Data collection and analysis: Data and information has been drawn from a review of documents, literature, formal interviews and consultations with former colleagues and key collaborators of Ray Rist, as well as first-hand experience of the author with ECD and NMES capacity development in a number of countries across the globe over the period in question. 

Findings: Ray Rist was a catalytic force on his own career path, intersecting with and influencing the paths of others along the way, and all helping countries accelerate their own journeys towards country-owned and institutionalized NMES. Notable points are depicted along a non-linear path that included challenges and opportunities that Ray, collaborating with others, took advantage of to gain greater momentum.