“This book arrives at exactly the right moment. Where the first edition focused on evaluating social innovation, the second edition shows how DE is more broadly relevant for any project, program, policy, or organization operating in our turbulent world. The new ADAPT framework will serve both first-time readers and experienced practitioners returning to it throughout an evaluation. Patton and Campbell-Patton bring together three decades of DE practice with insights from new practices in evaluation, public policy, and management. New ways of doing evaluation are urgently needed to support organizations responding to compound, cascading global crises—this book delivers them.”

—Patricia J. Rogers, PhD, independent consultant and former Professor of Public Sector Evaluation, RMIT University, Australia


“Since the publication of the first edition, Patton and Campbell-Patton have continued to critically reevaluate and refine DE through the many social, political, economic, and legal changes that have occurred. The second edition's intentional inclusion of culturally responsive, Indigenous, and equity practices using a DE lens offers the field of evaluation new ways to consider how allies can meaningfully contribute to a broader conversation and academic discourse. More in evaluation should be having this conversation. Developmental evaluation gives us another option that is untethered to business-as-usual in the field of evaluation and offers us a rooted and realistic way to grow, unlearn, and relearn through evaluation and as evaluators. DE offers a pathway into uncovering, understanding, and addressing complexity, unknowns, turbulent times, trauma, and destruction on a systemic and global level for humans and the earth that can advance healing and transformation efforts through evaluation.”

—Nicole Bowman, PhD, (Lunaape/Mohican), President, Bowman Performance Consulting; Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison


“This second edition is a magnum opus that expands the use of DE beyond innovation for adaptive resilience to continuous change. The authors draw on a vast range of interdisciplinary, intercultural, and intersectoral theory and practice. The advances in DE presented here will resonate with evaluation professionals, users, and funders who seek to co-create practice aligned with the ADAPT framework, in the service of social and ecological transformation.”

—Andrealisa Belzer, CE, MA, President, International Evaluation Academy


“This book is ideal for graduate courses in evaluation, public policy, organizational development, and the applied social sciences, as well as for executive education and evaluation professional development training. I plan to use the second edition to help students and practitioners develop the mindset and skills needed to design, adapt, and use evaluation in real time in complex, dynamic environments. The second edition stands out for its integration of contemporary advances in complexity science, systems thinking, and emergent strategy, and for its rich, practice-based examples. It offers exceptional conceptual clarity paired with highly actionable guidance.”

—Stewart I. Donaldson, PhD, Distinguished University Professor, Claremont Graduate University; Executive Director, Claremont Evaluation Center and The Evaluators' Institute