Rezension: Stockmann, Reinhard, Meyer, Wolfgang und Taube, Lena (Eds.) (2020): The Institutionalisation of Evaluation in Europe

Abstract

In covering 16 European countries, the 500 pages book provides a broad overview ("stocktaking") of the development of evaluation in Europe focusing on the institutions and actors initiating, involved in, and using evaluation. The book is made up of the (conceptually reflected) introductory and (aptly) summarizing chapters written by the editors and the (substantive data-rich) country reports written by some 20 country experts. While all countries show a "macro" trend in the convergent rise of evaluation (particularly with regard to government-commissioned evaluation and of "professionalization" of evaluators), the countries show marked variance (country-specific "starting conditions", dynamics ("waves"), institutional forms, etc.). The book can be deemed a valuable update and extension of the previous "stocktaking" of evaluation in the "International Atlas of Evaluation" edited by Jan-Eric Furubo, Ray C. Rist and Rolf Sandahl in 2002. It has the potential of being a standard source and handbook in evaluation-related teaching, research, and practice for many years.