Common good and equity

Consideration of common good and equity involves an evaluation going beyond using only the values of evaluation stakeholders to develop an evaluative framework to also consider common good and equity more broadly.

This may include consideration of negative impacts such as environmental impacts and the opportunity costs of investing in a particular intervention.

Common good and equity is one of the guiding principles of the American Evaluation Association:

• E. Common Good and Equity: Evaluators strive to contribute to the common good and advancement of an equitable and just society.
  • E1. Recognize and balance the interests of the client, other stakeholders, and the common good while also protecting the integrity of the evaluation.
  • E2. Identify and make efforts to address the evaluation's potential threats to the common good especially when specific stakeholder interests conflict with the goals of a democratic, equitable, and just society.
  • E3. Identify and make efforts to address the evaluation's potential risks of exacerbating historic disadvantage or inequity.
  • E4. Promote transparency and active sharing of data and findings with the goal of equitable access to information in forms that respect people and honor promises of confidentiality.
  • E5. Mitigate the bias and potential power imbalances that can occur as a result of the evaluation's context. Self-assess one's own privilege and positioning within that context.