Evaluative Inquiry for Systemic Change: A Guide to Shift Beyond Fixes to Lasting Value

Evaluating Inquiry for Systemic Change is practical and theory-informed guide to evaluating and influencing complex systems, it equips changemakers to pursue meaningful, lasting social impact through systemic change.

Table of Contents:
Preface About The Authors Chapter 1: Shift From Fixing to Systemic Change Shift from Fixing to Systemic Change Rationales for Systemic Change: Scientific, Critical, and Practical Five Myths About Systemic Change Distinguishing Systemic Change from Related Approaches and Examples Chapter 2: Develop Value Together What ‘Good’ Means: An Open Question Shift from Determining to Developing Value A Critical Deliberative Stance to Develop Value Evaluation Approaches Aligned with a Critical Deliberative Stance Five Myths about Evaluating Systemic Change Chapter 3: Join Together From Fixed Silos to System Stewardship Pause Topics: Invitations to Reflect, Discuss, and Co-Create Practical Tips Chapter 4: Engage In Systemic Change Framework and Process of Systemic Change Focal Processes and Resources for 5 Phases of Systemic Change Chapter 5: Evaluate To Develop Value Five Evaluative Elements We Center and Why Putting it Altogether: Evaluative Inquiry to Develop Value Chapter 6: Shape Capabilties and Conditions Why Shape Capabilities and Conditions? Micro, Meso, and Macro Capabilities and Conditions Using the Model Chapter 7: Share And Learn from Examples Context for our Conversation Part I. About the Global Alliance for the Future of Food Part II. How the Global Alliance Engages in Systemic Change Part III. What Evaluating Looks Like with a Focus on the Five Evaluative Elements Closing Reflections on this Example Conclusion Acknowledgments Glossary References

About the Author :
Emily F. Gates is an evaluator, educator, and systems thinker who explores how evaluation can support meaningful, values-driven change in complex systems. An associate professor at Boston College, she teaches graduate courses in evaluation and mixed methods and regularly leads talks and workshops. Her work bridges theory and practice, with over 30 publications and two co-authored books—Evaluative Inquiry for Systemic Change and Evaluating and Valuing in Social Research. A recipient of the American Evaluation Association’s Early Career Award, she brings over a decade of experience in mixed-method evaluations across education, public health, and STEM. She lives in Boston with her partner, their curious baby, loyal dog, and seasonal garden. Pablo Vidueira brings a global perspective to evaluation and systems change, with a focus on food systems transformation. He is Assistant Professor of Evaluation and Food Systems at Universidad Pontificia Comillas and Director of Evaluation for the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, a philanthropic network advancing just and sustainable food systems. Pablo has consulted with organizations including the World Food Program, UNFPA, and the European Commission, and collaborates widely across universities, foundations, and research institutes in Europe, Africa, and the Americas. He has served as president of APROEVAL, the regional association for evaluators in Spain and Portugal, and contributes to field-building through editorial work with New Directions for Evaluation. Trained as an Agricultural and Biosystems Engineer, he holds an MSc in Rural Development and a PhD in Program Evaluation. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, drumming, and time with family and friends.

Review :
Evaluation Inquiry for Systematic Inquiry reframes evaluation as a catalyst for systems learning rather than a measure of control—an essential shift for foundations confronting complexity. Providing both structure and insight, its five-phase systemic change framework and five-element evaluation model offer practical tools for integrating evaluation into strategy and strengthening learning and decision-making. The authors’ careful attention to context, inclusion, and shared purpose makes it especially relevant for foundations pursuing meaningful, lasting systems change. The book is unique in that it combines several perspectives, practices, and theoretical standpoints together into a sophisticated and valuable focus. The framing of evaluative inquiry in concert with understanding and promoting systemic change efforts is useful in bridging the worlds of evaluation, systems theory, and systemic change practice, which inform each other in the real world, but are not often discussed together in the literature. To my knowledge, this is a novel approach that will serve to bridge several disciplines in service of improving practice. The book’s central contribution is its articulation of critical and deliberative evaluative inquiry as a foundation for all phases of a systems change evaluation. This focus is of paramount importance to evaluators navigating complexity, inviting a shift from seeing themselves as technical experts to facilitators of collective learning. Through a good balance of theory, concrete examples, and resources, readers will gain actionable insights around how evaluators can develop value around both the process and outcomes of systems change.  This book fills a critical gap by offering a dual perspective often missing from other evaluative texts. It stands as an essential resource for shaping the future of evaluation and driving meaningful change. The five evaluative elements outlined in this book offer a clear and practical foundation, especially valuable for commissioners and consultants designing and evaluating portfolios in international development. It’s a useful guide for those seeking to embed evaluative thinking across initiatives while staying responsive to the maturity and dynamics of the systems they aim to influence. Evaluative Inquiry for Systematic Change is unique in that it combines evaluation and systems change in a comprehensive text. The book takes a practical approach, which students will find helpful as they learn how to implement systems aware evaluations. I appreciate the book and the authors′ approach to systemic change. Evaluative Inquiry for Systemic Change effectively fills a gap in the existing literature and offers a solid conceptual and theoretical foundation to evaluation. Overall, a thank you to the authors!