Abstract

FURTADO, Juarez Pereira  and  LAPERRIERE, Hélène. Parameters and paradigms for meta-evaluation: an exploratory and reflective review. Ciênc. saúde coletiva [online]. 2012, vol.17, n.3, pp. 695-705. ISSN 1413-8123.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232012000300016.

The evaluation of an evaluation is not a mere play on words or simply an investigation into the person who evaluates the evaluation. It is far more than that. It is about how to evaluate the diverse components of the evaluation process and the evaluators per se. In this paper, we discuss some promising possibilities for meta-evaluation in the field of evaluation of programs and services. These include fostering interaction between theoretical and practical production in fieldwork and supporting the definition of methods and strategies in a sector imbued with political interests and a profusion of methodological possibilities, and promoting ethical and scientific rigor in the evaluation practices. We conclude this exploratory and reflective review by raising some historical and political questions related to evaluation and meta-evaluation of programs and services and by criticizing the universalist and egalitarian pretensions contained in some evaluation approaches.

Keywords : Meta-evaluation; Evaluation of programs and services; Epistemology.