People‐Centered Evaluation: Integrating Theories and Practices for a Transformative Model
Katrina L. Bledsoe & Manuel Pérez‐Troncoso
What the paper says
ABSTRACT This overview article advances People‐Centered Evaluation (PCE) as a transformative stance rooted in relational accountability, memory, and ethical responsiveness. Drawing particularly from Culturally Responsive, Indigenous, and Equitable Evaluation approaches, it proposes PCE not as a fixed method but as a relational and justice‐oriented perspective that centers people—not systems or interventions. Through Bledsoe's research perspective and evaluation experience, and Pérez‐Troncoso's research and evaluation work with the SEAS Islands Alliance , the article illustrates how PCE emerges in practice and articulates its core tenets: relational accountability; ownership of knowledge and data; prioritization of lived experience; contextualization; equity as a central focus; methodological flexibility; community‐led definitions of value; evaluator reflexivity and positionality; and recognition of intersectionality. These tenets guide evaluators toward co‐producing meaning with communities, honoring memory, embracing complexity, and ensuring that people are at the center of the evaluative process.
3 citations
Evidence weight
Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40
| F · citation impact | 0.32 × 0.4 = 0.13 |
| M · momentum | 0.57 × 0.15 = 0.09 |
| V · venue signal | 0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03 |
| R · text relevance † | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.