How we can Better Decolonise and Shift Power in our Sector

This guest blog post was written for NPC, as follow up to their online seminar for trustees on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in evaluation. The seminar, at which I was a panelist, explored what ‘good evidence’ looks like, what the barriers in our existing evaluation practices are likely to be, and practical changes that can be made to them. Snippets of the full article are shared below, with a link at the end to the post on NPC.

Since decolonising our industry is central to restorative justice, I wanted to share reflections on how we can do better, specifically within planning, measurement, evaluation and learning (PMEL). This begins with understanding the horrors of colonisation, how this past still influences power and privilege, and how those manifest in the ways our sector works. By first understanding and then undoing what’s broken, we can move forward with equitable approaches to our work.

Language reinforces power dynamics

Language is not just about the words we use. It forms the beliefs at the heart of our ‘development’ sector—the way we perceive our roles, the problems we are working to solve and the strategies to address them, and who assists us in this and our relationships with them. Crucially, this informs whose perspective counts, to paraphrase Robert Chambers. Whose experiences are we really prioritising, and how do we know that these are the right strategies to solve them?

Redressing power imbalances starts at the organisation level

If the ways you work do not align with the current world order, if they are not contributing to equitable, restorative, sustainable, and inclusive change, think about what you can do to amend that. Whose perspectives are at the heart of your work—your board members and decision-makers? Or the perspectives and experiences of the communities in which you work?

Look within your sphere of control for the most impactful solutions

At the coordinator or associate level, you’re a crucial part of the day-to-day implementation of your projects. Within your team, you likely work most closely with your partners. Use that space to discuss your project’s day-to-day management with them, solve problems together, build relationships of trust and respect, and get regular feedback from them and your communities. Use that to help you create an evidence base of what is and isn’t working, so the next time you co-design a project in that area, you’ve got a lot of knowledge about how you can best serve your community.

Reshaping measurement and evaluation practices

We can also reshape our own measurement and evaluation (M&E), learning, and research practices, embedding participatory and inclusive approaches and helping to undo the extractive nature of traditional M&E and research. Traditional research as we know it also started in rich European countries around the time of colonisation so it’s no wonder there are common roots in the way it perceives the researcher and the researched—the former an unbiased observer and the latter put under a microscope. When designing your M&E strategy, consider where your community’s voice is present. Who has built your strategy, and what biases are those groups bringing to it?

Read the full article here on NPC's blog