Deutsche Gesellschaft für Evaluation

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Evaluation
Name	Deutsche Gesellschaft für Evaluation
Formation	1995
Type	Non-profit organization
Headquarters	Berlin
Region served	Germany
Membership	evaluators, researchers, practitioners
Leader title	Chair

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Evaluation is a German professional association for evaluation practitioners, researchers, and institutions. Founded in 1995, it links professionals across sectors to promote evaluation theory, practice, and standards. The society interacts with international bodies to influence policy and method in program assessment, impact measurement, and evidence synthesis.

History

The society emerged amid debates in the 1990s around program assessment following initiatives by Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, collaborations with academic centers such as Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin, and practical demands from agencies like Bundesagentur für Arbeit and regional Landtag administrations. Early membership included scholars associated with Max Planck Society, practitioners from Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik, and consultants who had worked with European Commission evaluation units. Key milestones included formal incorporation, establishment of ethical guidelines influenced by standards from American Evaluation Association and engagement with projects funded under Seventh Framework Programme and later Horizon 2020. The society’s development paralleled the expansion of evaluation capacity in public bodies including Bundesministerium der Finanzen and international organizations such as OECD and United Nations Development Programme.

Mission and Objectives

The society’s mission emphasizes professionalization and dissemination of evaluation methods to inform decision-making in sectors connected to Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend, and Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz. Objectives encompass fostering links with universities like Universität Hamburg and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, promoting methodological pluralism including approaches from Institute for Employment Research and Robert Koch Institute, and advocating for evidence use in agencies such as European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy and World Bank. The society also aims to bridge applied work with theoretical developments from institutions like Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung and Max-Planck-Institut für Sozialrecht und Sozialpolitik.

Membership and Organization

Membership comprises individual evaluators, institutional members from think tanks such as Bertelsmann Stiftung, academic departments like Institute for Educational Science (University of Cologne), and consultants formerly affiliated with firms such as McKinsey & Company and PwC. Governance structures mirror professional associations including elected boards, working groups modeled after European Evaluation Society networks, and regional chapters comparable to those in Sächsischer Landtag constituencies. Committees coordinate with advisory partners such as Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and training providers from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit to deliver continuous professional development. The organization maintains links with accreditation bodies and research projects at institutions like Leuphana University Lüneburg.

Activities and Services

Core activities include training workshops run jointly with universities such as Hertie School and Technische Universität Berlin, consultancy forums featuring representatives from Aktion Mensch and KfW Bankengruppe, and thematic working groups addressing methods used by Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. Services extend to online resources, peer networks resembling those of American Evaluation Association, and mentorship schemes partnering with research centers such as WZB Berlin Social Science Center. The society also supports practitioner-led evaluations commissioned by municipalities like Stadt Berlin and non-governmental organizations akin to German Red Cross.

Conferences and Publications

Annual conferences convene presenters from institutions including European Commission, OECD, World Health Organization, and universities such as University of Oxford and University College London, featuring sessions on mixed methods, randomized trials, and qualitative synthesis. Proceedings and journals publish work by authors affiliated with University of Cambridge, Yale University, Harvard University, and German centers like Bertelsmann Stiftung research units. The society issues newsletters, monographs, and guidelines developed with input from partners such as European Evaluation Society and academic publishers like Springer Nature and Routledge.

Standards, Guidelines, and Methodology

The society develops standards informed by practices at American Evaluation Association, UK Evaluation Society, and OECD guidelines on evaluation. Methodological emphases include randomized controlled trials used by Cochrane Collaboration affiliates, realist evaluation influenced by scholars associated with University of Manchester, contribution analysis drawn from Canadian Evaluation Society traditions, and mixed-methods frameworks advanced by teams at Maastricht University and ETH Zurich. Ethical rules and quality criteria align with recommendations from World Medical Association and national data protection norms intersecting with Bundesdatenschutzgesetz dialogues.

Awards and Recognition

The society honors outstanding contributions through awards comparable to prizes from GDN (Global Development Network) and fellowships akin to those by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Recognized recipients have included academics from Technische Universität München, policy analysts from Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, and practitioners affiliated with ILO projects. Awards acknowledge innovation in evaluation design, influence on policy in ministries like Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales, and capacity-building efforts in cooperation with entities such as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Category:Professional associations based in Germany Category:Evaluation