Connecting Society: How everyday data can shape our lives
Connecting Society: How everyday data can shape our lives
ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK)
Can evaluation be a violent act? Rethinking policy evaluation
26 minutes Posted Feb 26, 2026 at 12:00 pm.
0:00
26:34
Download MP3
Show notes
Evaluation is often seen as a neutral and technical process: collecting data, measuring outcomes, and judging whether a policy or programme “worked”. But what if the way we evaluate is shaping - and sometimes harming - the very systems and communities we’re trying to improve? Dr Luke Roberts is a complexity theorist and evaluator who argues that traditional approaches to policy evaluation do not account for the complex, adaptive systems that underpin society. From inequality and public...