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An assessment of the ethical challenges that programme evaluators encounter : lessons for South Africa

M.A. (Public Management and Governance) / This study seeks to deal with a variety of ethical challenges that programme evaluators encounter when undertaking evaluations. In order to find the origin of programme evaluation ethical dilemmas, the study begins with a description of how programme and policy evaluation emerged as a professional field. A chronological approach has been used to outline how different governments and nongovernmental organisations across the world decided to adopt programme evaluation as a mechanism that can be employed to judge the worth and effectiveness of public and private sector policies and programmes. The historical context has also provided foundations for various purposes of evaluation and roles that must be assumed by programme evaluators. The study identified various challenges that arise during different phases of programme evaluation. Political issues are known challenges that programme evaluators encounter. A link between obstacles and the various roles of programme evaluators have been investigated and analysed. The study also shows how programme evaluators, commissioning agency staff, programme recipients and participants might contribute to unethical conduct in various stages of the evaluation. The study assessed different principles and guidelines that programme evaluators use to guide their evaluations. It also assessed the usefulness of policy instruments in terms of covering the challenges that arise throughout the life cycle of programme evaluation. Furthermore, the study focused on the limitations of the current policy instruments regarding ethical obstacles in evaluation. In response to these limitations, the study proposes various measures that programme evaluation institutions can put in place in order to address the inadequacies that are found in current principles and guidelines.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:12631
Date20 October 2014
CreatorsSithomola, Tshilidzi Oriel
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
RightsUniversity of Johannesburg

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