Abstract The complexity of development and social change and growing tensions between dominant results-based and emerging learning and improvement-based approaches to evaluating development interventions have created major challenges for the evaluation of communication for development (C4D). Drawing on our recent research, we identify significant tensions, challenges and issues in evaluating C4D. They include contextual and institutional challenges, problems with attribution and unrealistic timeframes, a lack of capacities in both evaluation and C4D, and a lack of appreciation, funding and support for approaches that are more appropriate for the evaluation of C4D. We propose various strategies that can help to address these challenges and issues, including using a rigorous mixed methods approach, and implementing long-term, holistic evaluation capacity development at all levels and our new framework for evaluating C4D. These and other strategies can help to create a supportive environment in which new ideas and approaches can flourish, more sustainable outcomes of C4D can be achieved, and C4D organisations can become more sustainable and effective. The implications for C4D policy are considered.

中文翻译：

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评估发展交流中的紧张，挑战和问题

摘要发展与社会变革的复杂性以及基于结果的主导学习与基于新兴学习以及基于改进的方法对发展干预进行评估之间的紧张关系日益加剧，这对交流促进发展（C4D）的评估提出了重大挑战。根据我们最近的研究，我们发现在评估C4D方面存在严重的压力，挑战和问题。其中包括背景和体制方面的挑战，归因问题和时间表不切实际，评估和C4D缺乏能力，以及缺乏对C4D评估更合适的方法的赞赏，资助和支持。我们提出了各种有助于解决这些挑战和问题的策略，包括采用严格的混合方法，实施长期，全面评估能力的发展以及我们评估C4D的新框架。这些策略和其他策略可以帮助创建一个支持性环境，使新的思想和方法可以蓬勃发展，可以实现C4D更具可持续性的结果，并且C4D组织可以变得更加可持续和有效。考虑了对C4D政策的影响。