aes24 International Evaluation Conference

Title: Evaluating sustainability science capacity building: Pathways for early career researchers

Author/s: Lisa Walker (CSIRO)

In the quest for sustainable solutions to pressing global challenges, transdisciplinary approaches, that integrate insights and methods from various fields, are increasingly being recognised as key to driving change. This presentation will share insights from an evaluation of a five-year, $18 million sustainability science research program seeking to not only drive innovation but to also empower the next cohort of early career researchers (ECRs) to coordinate action across research, policy and practice to address complex sustainability problems.
Our formative, mixed-methods evaluation highlighted on-the-job learning, face-to-face engagement and networking as pivotal in building sustainability science capacity. We also found targeted recruitment, research team engagement and the provision of support and resources to supervisors as essential, and sometimes overlooked, components. This work contributes to the broader discussion on how evaluation can enhance the development of sustainability science, proposing a framework that emphasises the individual, team and institutional support mechanisms necessary for effective ECR capacity building.
Novelty in our approach lies in the integration of evaluative practices within the capacity-building process, offering a reflective lens on how transdisciplinary endeavours can be optimised to address sustainability challenges. This is particularly relevant for evaluators wanting to build their own skills, or those of others, to engage on complex sustainability issues. The study also underscores the significance of adaptive learning and evaluation in navigating the complexities of sustainability science, inviting a broader conversation on how evaluation can be leveraged to facilitate meaningful contributions to societal and planetary well-being.

Authors: Justine Smith (Nation Partners )

There is a pressing need to reduce the risks associated with climate change and the disasters that are likely to increase as a result. Along with the need to take action, comes the need to show we are making a difference - or perhaps more importantly the need to learn and evolve to ensure we are making a difference. However when operating in an ever changing, uncertain environment, with layers of complexity and outcomes that may not be realised for some time, or until disaster strikes, evidence of impact is not always easy to collect nor a priority.

Drawing on experience developing evaluation frameworks and delivering evaluation projects in the areas of climate change and disaster and emergency management, I will present some of the challenges and opportunities I have observed. In doing so, I propose that there is no 'one way' to do things. Rather, taking the time to understand what we are evaluating and to continually learn, evolve and adjust how we evaluate is key. This includes having clarity on what we really mean when we are talking about reducing risk and increasing resilience. Ideas I will explore include:

• The concepts of risk reduction and resilience.
• The difference between evaluation for accountability and for genuine learning and improvement.
• Balancing an understanding of and progress towards big picture outcomes with project level, time and funding bound outcomes.
• The challenge and potential benefits of event-based evaluation to learn and improve.

Evaluation has the capacity to contribute positively to action taken to reduce climate change risks and improve our management of disasters and recovery from disasters. As evaluators we too need to be innovative and open-minded in our approaches, to learn from and with those working directly in this space for the benefit of all.

Authors: Donna Loveridge (Independent Consultant), Ed Hedley (Itad Ltd UK, GB)

The nature and magnitude of global challenges, such as climate change, poverty and inequality, biodiversity loss, food insecurity and so on, means that $4 trillion is needed annually to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Government and philanthropic funding is not enough but additional tools include businesses and sustainable finance. Evaluators may relate to many objectives that business and sustainable finance seek to contribute to but discomfort can arise in the mixing of profit, financial returns, impact and purpose.

Sustainable finance, impact investing, and business for good are growing globally and provides opportunities and challenges for evaluators, evaluation practice and the profession.
This session explores this new landscape and examines:

• What makes us uncomfortable about dual objectives of purpose and profit, notions of finance and public good, and unfamiliar stakeholders and languages, and what evaluators can do in response.
• The opportunities for evaluators to contribute to solving interesting and complex problems with current tools and skills and where is the space for developing evaluation theory and practice.
• How evaluation practice and evaluators' competencies might expand and deepen, and not get left behind in these new fields, and also sustaining evaluations relevance to addressing complex challenges.

The session draws on experience in Australia and internationally to share some practical navigation maps, tools and tips to help evaluators traverse issues of values and value, working with investors and businesses, and identify opportunities to add value.

Authors: Jolenna Deo (Allen and Clarke Consulting)

Journey mapping acts as a GPS to grasp audience or consumer experience in evaluating policies or programs, highlighting twists, hidden gems, and pitfalls It can be a useful tool to help evaluators capture disparities and competing needs among intended demographics. This session will discuss the journey mapping method, drawing from an evaluation of a Community Capacity Building Program which used journey mapping to illustrate key consumer personas. It will explore the integration of multiple data sources to provide a comprehensive understanding of complex disparities and the cultural and historical contexts in which these arise.