Evaluation October 1999 [antikvár]

Introduction to the Special Issue This special issue brings together a selection from the many papers, speeches and debates at the European Evaluation Society (EES) conference held in Romé in October 1998. It is hoped that the issue will give readers of Evaluation worldwide a sense of the growing sophistication and vibrancy of the evaluation community in Europe today. One indicator of this is the number of national evaluation societies that have grown up since the EES was förmed: there are now evaluation societies or networks in Germany, Francé, Switzerland, the UK, Italy and Sweden. All of these countries were well represented in Rome. It was alsó pleasing to welcome guests from further afield - from Australia and the USA in particular. A plenary address by one of the society's most distinguished visitors, Carol Weiss, has been elaborated here as an article for this special issue. Articles in this issue span theory and practice, and include areas of application as diverse as international development, úrban regeneration, training and labour markets, auditing practice and rural development. Many have their origíns in European Union programmes, in particular the Structural Funds where there has been much investment in evaluation in recent years. In line with the journal's generál editorial policies, the Special Advisory Board for this issue has selected articles that in all instances go beyond the reporting of particular evaluative studies. The authors included here are concerned with balancing stakeholder and enlightenment objectives with the social construction of impacts as well as with 'reálist' approaches in new settings, evaluation and risk management and methodologies for the evaluation of locally defined territorial development policies. As this issue goes to press, plans are being finalized for the next EES conference in Lausanne, in October 2000. In the journal's News from the Community section you will find a first announcement and call for participation for this conference. I hope you can be there. Hellmut Wollman, President, European Evaluation Society, 1997-1999