ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that truth is a matter of negotiated consensus, that facts have no meaning except in some framework of values, and that the counterfactual may be counterproductive in that it distracts us from other types of activities and engagements. It focuses on how we perceive "truth"— not necessarily as something extracted from statistically robust measurements but from the contextual negotiations Guba and Lincoln discuss in their work on "fourth generation evaluation." In the production of robust indicators that measure validity, legitimacy, and institutional maturity, the challenges to participatory evaluation understand the changing nature of the relationships between outsiders and insiders and building trust and mutual partnerships between unequal allies. To encourage second-generation participation, we might take concrete steps to develop institutions for independent specialist evaluations, perhaps with a rights-based approach, and a social audit capacity within countries or states.
