The Case for Enhancing the Quality of Primary Evaluations through Metaevaluation in Developing Country Contexts

Abstract

This article makes a case for metaevaluation in the context of further evaluative inquiry beyond primary evaluation level and advances the plausible perspective that metaevaluation improves the quality of primary evaluations and the evidence used to support decision-making. It argues that metaevaluation is a form of evaluative enquiry that is aimed at assessing the strengths and weaknesses of primary evaluations. Through so doing, metaevaluation makes a valuable contribution toward enhancing the credibility and reliability of primary evaluations and the evidence provided to decision-makers. Metaevaluation has been utilised in different contexts in some developed countries to assess the quality of evaluations of development interventions, although scanty evidence exists of its use in developing country contexts.