Ethical implications of resource-limited evaluations: lessons from an INGO in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

The emphasis on demonstrable program results in international development work has produced countless evaluation guidelines and numerous scholars have championed specific, ethical-based evaluation approaches to guide international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs). Yet few studies have examined the ethical implications of current evaluation practices among INGOs or the resulting effects on INGO-funded programs. This article focuses on one among a growing population of young, U.S.-based INGOs whose evaluation practices reflect limitations of time, methodological expertise and funding. Drawing on existing principles of ethical evaluations, the author explores the circumstances and potential implications of one evaluation performed by an INGO in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and concludes that an ethically defensible evaluation exceeds the capacity of this young INGO. Four propositions are forwarded to highlight the tensions between currently accepted evaluation guidelines and INGO realities. Finally, to help under-resourced INGOs minimize the potential ethical implications for their programs, the article recommends that they prioritize their limited resources to: (1) build local capacity and decentralize evaluation tasks and responsibilities; (2) share program agendas and solicit feedback on implementation from evaluands; (3) share field impressions with local and expert stakeholders; and, (4) translate communications into local dialects to facilitate discussion about structuring future programs and their evaluation.