DOCTORAL RESEARCH (2017-2022)
Enhancing evaluations of programs operating under a changing climate
The intensifying climate crisis threatens to reverse progress made by development programs in achieving food security and other health goals. While learnings from evaluation can improve the resilience of such programs, minimal guidance exists on how to account for climate change within evaluation. My CIHR-funded doctoral research aimed to address this knowledge gap. I conducted several knowledge syntheses and a qualitative evaluation study of an ongoing food safety program in Vietnam. By identifying, testing, and reflecting on strategies for integrating climate change into evaluation processes, my dissertation research contributed important insights into how evaluations can support climate-responsive programming.
Related Publications:
Lam S, Dodd W, Nguyen-Viet H, Unger F, Le TTH, Dang-Xuan S, Skinner K, Papadopoulos A, Harper SL. (2023).How can climate change and its interaction with other compounding risks be considered in evaluation? Experiences from Vietnam. Evaluation (online first).
Lam S, Dodd W, Wyngaarden S, Skinner K, Papadopoulos A, Harper SL. (2021). How and why are Theory of Change and Realist Evaluation used in food security contexts? A scoping review. Evaluation and Program Planning. 89: 102008.
Lam S, Dodd W, Harper SL. (2021). COP26: How the world will measure progress on the Paris climate agreement and keep countries accountable. The Conversation Canada. *Picked up by National Post and World Economic Forum.
Lam S, Dodd W, Berrang-Ford L, Ford J, Skinner K, Papadopoulos A, Harper SL. (2021). How are climate actions evaluated? A review of United Nations food security evaluations. Global Food Security. 28: 100509.
Lam S, Dodd W, Skinner K, Papadopoulos A, Zivot C, Ford J, Garcia P, IHACC Research Team, Harper SL. (2019). Community-based monitoring of Indigenous food security in a changing climate: Global trends and future directions. Environ. Res. Lett. 14(7): 073002.