Blue Marble Evaluation

“When Patton comes up with a concept to use in the field of evaluation, rest assured it will become a way of living and a way of doing. He has a unique and rare ability to draw immediate attention to a core idea that will touch the fabric of the field in a profound way. This book calls on evaluators to disentangle ourselves from being part of the problem in order to work toward local and global change. Blue Marble Evaluation is Patton at his best—rich with stories, lessons, and images; grounded in stories of real people who are challenged with the way our Earth is headed; and written with the audacity to spur us to rethink and transform our field.”

—Rodney Hopson, PhD, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign


“Be prepared for one of the most profound visions for changing the destructive course of humankind. Patton takes us to a new vantage point and inspires us to think, engage, design, and evaluate in a manner that will lead to global change. The truly innovative Blue Marble and global systems transformation principles offered by Patton are likely to dramatically improve the positive influence of evaluation science on society. This is a ‘must read’ for evaluation scholars and practitioners as well as others interested in possible solutions to the most pressing local and global challenges of our time.”

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


“Blue Marble Evaluation provides sobering reading about why business as usual is not enough for dealing with multiple, urgent global challenges, and describes practical ways that evaluation can be part of effective responses. This book is relevant for anyone engaged in global change initiatives or interested in the global impact of locally focused efforts. Once again, Patton challenges us to rethink evaluation—and shows us how to do so.”

—Patricia Rogers, PhD, Director, BetterEvaluation; Professor of Public Sector Evaluation, RMIT University, Australia


“Blue Marble Evaluation delivers a provocative message about the purpose of evaluation practice. Patton offers no easy path, placing evaluation in the middle of powerful polarities—global and local action, reflectiveness and urgency, boundless thinking and focus on discrete contracts. Building on his previous work on evaluation use, complexity, and social justice, Patton calls for renewed agility in evaluative thinking and practice. He invites every evaluator to commit personally to making each evaluation count. This book is a 'must read' for all evaluators who care about and regularly reflect on the purpose of their practice.”

—Tessie Tzavaras Catsambas, MPP, Founder and CEO, EnCompass, Rockville, Maryland