Participation or Consultation? Reflections on a ‘Beneficiary Based’ Evaluation of UNHCR's Programme for Sierra Leonean and Liberian Refugees in Guinea, June–July 2000
Author: Kaiser, Tania
Source: Journal of Refugee Studies, Volume 17, Number 2, June 2004 , pp. 185-204(20)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
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Abstract:
This article is based on research carried out in the course of a pilot, ‘beneficiary based’ evaluation of UNHCR's assistance programme for Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugees in Guinea in June–July 2000. It considers an attempt to explore the feasibility and potential utility of consultative and participatory approaches in the evaluation of UNHCR's refugee programmes. It discusses the use of qualitative methods and interpretative models as a way of facilitating the process of measuring programme impact. It raises the question of whether it is feasible to carry out a truly participatory evaluation of refugee programming that has not itself been participatory in its planning and implementation. It warns against an overly narrow definition of ‘success’ in refugee programming, and questions the desire of institutional humanitarian actors to hear the views of refugees and others affected by programming, if such views do not accord with previously determined operational priorities. It points to some of the benefits to be derived by all stakeholders if they can be persuaded to do so.Document Type: Research article
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