Introducing systems- and complexity-informed evaluation

Abstract

For the last several decades and recently amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many in the global evaluation communities call for shifts from linear, reductionist ways of thinking and working to approaches that embrace systems and complexity. In this introductory chapter, we orient readers to key systems and complexity traditions and terms and how these have been put to use in the evaluation field. Doing so provides a foundation from which to engage with the subsequent chapters. We close this chapter with highlights from the case examples featured in this issue.