A Roadmap for the Future of Evaluation in an Unsettled World

Authors

  • Steve Jacob Département de Science Politique, Université Laval
  • Astrid Brousselle School of Public Administration, University of Victoria https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4237-2518
  • Jason Hannan Department of Rhetoric, Writing, and Communications, University of Winnipeg
  • Peter Milley Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5819-8086

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18357/cjpe.2026.40.1.1213

Keywords:

Populism, Post-Truth, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Polarization, Resilience

Abstract

This article concludes the thematic section on evaluation in an unsettled world. The present context in which evaluation is conducted is shaped by several factors, including the rise of populism, the spread of post-truth, and the accelerated development of artificial intelligence (AI). In this environment, mistrust of expertise and scientific knowledge is increasing. To address these challenges, the article identifies five avenues to support the future of evaluation. These include acknowledging the enduring nature of current transformations, cultivating the resilience of the evaluation community, and adapting methodological approaches to increasingly complex and polarized environments. It also emphasizes the need to renew professional competencies, including relational, communicative, and digital skills, to better position evaluation within evolving information environments. Finally, these developments highlight the need for a re-humanization of evaluation practices, reaffirming the importance of judgment and dialogue.

Cover of The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation / La Revue canadienne d’évaluation de programme, Volume 40, Issue 1 (Spring 2026). Blue gradient background with large “40!” graphic. Bilingual text lists sections: Articles, Roots and Relations / Nos racines et nos liens (thematic section), Research & Practice Notes, and Book Reviews. Includes ISSN 0834‑1516, a QR code, UVic Libraries logo, and journal website link.

Downloads

Published

2026-05-21

How to Cite

Jacob, S., Brousselle, A., Hannan, J., & Milley, P. (2026). A Roadmap for the Future of Evaluation in an Unsettled World. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 40(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.18357/cjpe.2026.40.1.1213

Issue

Vol. 40 No. 1 (2026): Spring

Section

Thematic Segment

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Steve Jacob, Astrid Brousselle, Jason Hannan, Peter Milley

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Authors contributing to The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation agree to release their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 (CC-BY-NC) license. This licence allows this work to be copied, distributed, remixed, transformed, and built upon for any purpose provided that appropriate attribution is given, a link is provided to the license, and changes made were indicated.

Authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal right of first publication.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 > >>