Zeitschrift für Evaluation: Issue 2/2026, 25. Volume

This article examines the professionalization of evaluation in the context of growing global complexity and declining institutional support. While evaluation is expected to inform policy and drive learning, its professional foundations remain fragmented, with gaps in training, weak public recognition, and limited influence of professional organizations. Drawing on current developments in the field, the article highlights a shift in required evaluation competencies from technical expertise toward facilitation, systems thinking, ethical awareness, and cultural responsiveness. It argues that traditional models of professionalization are insufficient to meet contemporary challenges. Instead, professionalization of evaluation must be reimagined as science-based, value-driven, and oriented toward the public good. The article calls for stronger alignment between training and competencies, improved communication of evaluation’s value, and greater engagement of evaluators in shaping their profession.

Keywords
professionalization of evaluation, evaluation capacity development, evaluative think-ing, transformative evaluation