Evaluators

7. Massively Parallel Roles & Tasks

We are using the term "evaluator" differently from most people in our field, who use it to describe people who evaluate whether an particular conflict intervention or peacebuilding program worked (or is currently working) as hoped and planned.  We are using the term "evaluator" in a different and broader sense, defining it as people who help incorporate public values into the analytical process —because science cannot do that. Scientists can tell us, within some range of uncertainty, the nature of the problems we face and they can estimate the likely consequences of options for addressing those problems. They cannot, however, say what policy is best for a community or a nation. That is a value judgment that should be made by the public (and its elected representatives), not by technical experts. For that, we need a process that involves the general public and, especially, the stakeholders who are likely to be most affected by any decision. So evaluators help decision makers take the science and put it together with an understanding of public values and priorities to try to determine which policy choices will, in specific circumstances, be best for specific groups and for the public overall.
 
The International Association for Public Participation is one organization trying to do this by involving everyday citizens in the policy-making process. Government agencies are also often supportive of such efforts, as is evidenced by the EPA's document on public participation.   Citizen assemblies are an even more ambitious effort to improve the interface between experts and the public.

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