Possibilism and Evaluation: Judith Tendler and Albert Hirschman

“In her new book, Possibilism and Evaluation: Judith Tendler and Albert Hirschman, Dr. Nicoletta Stame gives us a fresh perspective on Tendler and Hirschman, two provocative thinkers who were unafraid to stand apart in their thinking and practice, and whose scholarship was full of prescient of ideas that are still ‘leading edge’ in evaluation today. Tendler and Hirschman covered significant territory not only worth remembering, but truly inspiring for us today, and their work beckons evaluators to reflect on questions such as: How can we harness the power of Theory of Change in evaluation to break away from linear logic modeling and capture a flexible perspective that leaves room for ambiguity? How can we be open to see and study what has worked in the face of adversity? How do we represent human creativity in our evaluations? Stame shows connections between this still avant-garde work with evaluation scholars like Rogers, Schwandt and Patton, and with approaches and methods such as mixed methods, qualitative evaluation, Appreciative Evaluation, and others. We are grateful to Stame for bringing into the light the stimulating and robust body of work of Tendler and Hirschman, with their unflinching challenging of norms that still bind evaluators in many quarters today. The complex concept of possibilism in evaluation is an important contribution to evaluation scholarship—evaluation that invites respect of people, ethical practice, and creative insight toward what makes communities resilient and thriving.”
—Tessie Tzavaras Catsambas, CEO/CFO, EnCompass LLC; Former President, American Evaluation Association

“Drawing on unconventional evaluation strategies of Albert O. Hirschman and Judith Tendler, this book offers important insights regarding how to conduct evaluations which open up possibilities for public action. In contrast to the pessimism of conventional evaluations which highlight ‘constraints’ and ‘structural barriers’ to development, Stame offers a relatively optimistic approach urging continuous learning to transcend the rigid guidelines of orthodox evaluation paradigms. A must read for both development scholars and practitioners who are curious about how development efforts unfold amidst uncertainty and generate ‘surprises’ which must be culled to appreciate the complexities of the development process.”
—Bish Sanyal, Ford International Professor of Urban Development and Planning and Director, SPURS/HUMPHREY Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

“This authoritative account by an eminent evaluation scholar reminds us why when confronting today’s evaluation challenges, we should never forget insights from past masters. Both Hirschman and Tendler combined practice and research in ways that cast a penetrating light on problems that remain critical for evaluators today. These include complexity, causality and above all how to engage stakeholders and citizens in evaluations that aim to remain true to democratic principles. An accessible and thought provoking read.”
—Elliot Stern, FAcSS Emeritus Professor of Evaluation Research, Lancaster University

“This book is exceptional. It does a brilliant and innovative job of taking the economic and evaluative writings from two authors, juxtaposing them, and showing how the writings of each reinforces and supports the writings of the other. I recommend this book to you without reservation.”
—Ray C. Rist, George Washington University; Former President, International Development Evaluation Association