Позитивные изменения, Том 3 №1, 2023. Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 1 (2023)

No Standards, Just Calling. Is Project and Program Evaluation a Profession?

Yulia Vyatkina

DOI 10.55140/2782–5817–2023–3–1–16–27

The topic of professionalizing project and program evaluation (in the social sphere, culture, science, environment, etc.) has been on the agenda of international organizations for more than a dozen years, or about ten years in the Russian practice. There are numerous publications and discussions between evaluation specialists talking about the status of evaluation as a profession at the regional and international level. In our country, this topic is addressed at the annual conferences of the Association of Specialists in Program and Policy Evaluation (ASPPE or ASOPP). So is project and program evaluation a profession, and if so, how can we find out and tell?

Yulia Vyatkina

Editor, Positive Changes Journal

THE STAGES OF TURNING AN OCCUPATION INTO A PROFESSION

Before we start talking about the professionalization of evaluation (referring specifically to evaluation of projects and programs), let us consider how an occupation becomes a profession.

Harold Wilensky, an American sociologist who studied the functioning of various organizational structures in the modern society, proposed in the 1960s a model describing the formation of a profession in several stages[15].

The process starts with a certain occupation acquiring full-time status. That is, with enough people engaged in some kind of activity from morning till night and making a living off of it. Full-time employment is the mandatory starting point, otherwise the occupation cannot turn into a profession. In addition, it is possible when there is a demand for services.

The second stage is the emergence of a school of professional training for the people engaged in this type of activity. Schools like this are often associated with universities. The next step is a professional association – an association of people engaged in this activity on a permanent basis. The association takes actions forcing the state to adopt certain regulations establishing the procedure for licensing and certifying activities, thus establishing a kind of professional monopoly. Also, the professional association affects the professional training of specialists, promoting the development of a theory, methods, strategies of activity and competences of the specialists.

Next, a code of ethics is developed, which helps prevent abuse of authority and power. Self-regulated professional associations demonstrate to the public that they control the code of ethics.

The final step is the formation of a positive image in the society. When you have established an image, you can say that you have a new profession.

WHAT IS A PROFESSION?

There are two approaches to defining a profession. In the first case, it is defined as an activity, an occupation, a job. In the second, as a group of people.

A profession as an activity is a paid job, especially one that involves lengthy training and formal qualifications. Accordingly, a professional is a person who has undergone such training, received confirmation of his/her qualifications and is engaged in that job.

Caroline Heider, former Director General and Senior Vice President, Evaluation, World Bank Group, highlights the key features of established professions[16]:

• There is an established stream through the tertiary education system that each member of the profession has to complete, and some professions require regular training to update knowledge and skills;

• The profession requires that new graduates practice in close collaboration and under the supervision of more experienced practitioners;

• There are strong, recognized professional associations that enforce and reinforce standards;

• Legislation is in place that sets out requirements and provides the basis for legal recourse in the case of malpractice.

IS EVALUATION A PROFESSION?

We decided to do a little research of our own and turned to experts who have been working in evaluation for quite a long time. Our speakers responded that it is too early to call evaluation a mature profession yet. By the way, its degree of maturity varies from country to country.

“I think it is a profession in its nascent stages. There are many signs indicating this. If you look at the percentage of those who graduated from higher education institutions and majored in «Evaluation», that number is really small anywhere in the world. Russia does not have such specialization at all. People come to evaluation from different fields and have different backgrounds,” says Alexey Kuzmin, Owner, Process Consulting Company.