This phrase, from the original in French “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” is very pertinent in our quest to change behaviours.

In a WWF report, Crompton (2008: 5) states: “The results of experiments examining the ‘foot-in-the-door’ approach (the hope that individuals can be led up a virtuous ladder of ever more far-reaching behavioural changes) are fraught with contradictions”.

What does this mean in terms of evaluation? Well, for one, self-reporting of changes may lead to socially-desirable answers that overestimate the amount of actual change.

So how do we undertake better evaluations? Well, hopefully this will all be revealed in the conversations that take place at Show me the Change. Which leads me to the following…………

The Abbotsford Declaration on Behaviour Change Evaluation

A recent post on Rick Davies Evaluation News Site on the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness made me think about what we can collectively achieve from Show me the Change.

Based on the diversity of people attending I am sure that the conversations will be passionate and inspiring and the amount of knowledge exchange based on practical experiences will lead to better practices…. So how about working towards an Abbotsford Declaration on Behaviour Change Evaluation as a marker for this event, and as a building block for future behaviour change programs and their evaluation!