Reenchanting evaluation
Domain: Social Impact Evaluation
Type: PhD Thesis
Year: 2024
Authors: Dr Rachel Bertram
Suggested reference: Bertram, R. (2024). Reenchanting evaluation: Relationality and the role of place in reclaiming neglected values in evaluation [Doctoral thesis, University of Technology Sydney]. UTS OPUS. https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/handle/10453/190095
Reenchanting evaluation: Relationality and the role of place in reclaiming neglected values in evaluation
Overview
This doctoral research explored how values often neglected in conventional evaluation can be brought back into focus through place-based, relational approaches. Grounded in a critique of dominant economic models of impact, the study asked: What does success look like when defined by the communities we serve?
Approach
The project used a two-phase, mixed-methods design to examine community gardening programs across Greater Sydney. Phase One involved geospatial mapping to understand garden distribution and demographics. Phase Two used semi-participatory, dialogue-based methods in two case study sites, centering the lived experiences and aspirations of community members.
Findings
The research revealed how neoliberal frameworks of success can obscure the deeper social and relational values that underpin thriving communities. Findings identified place as an active participant in the change narrative. Participants called for a renewed focus on community, place, and connection, requiring a process of remembering, reconnection, and reenchantment.
Impact
The study proposes a “reenchanted relational paradigm” for social impact evaluation. The approach centres community-defined metrics of success and honours the local, embedded values often lost in mainstream evaluation. It contributes both a theoretical and practical framework for more meaningful, transformative impact practice in complex social contexts.
Speaking on this Research
