ABSTRACT
Time and the nature of change are the concepts treated in this chapter. Some of the philosophical questions (and answers) raised in the past are presented, but the main message is to introduce a framework to analyze change that can be practically useful in the conduct of evaluation. The chapter suggests five essential dimensions of change; (1) how fundamental change is, (2) whether change is emergent or not, (3) whether it is continuous or discontinuous, (4) the nature of change trajectories, and (5) the existence of tipping points. This exercise is not the same as arriving at a causal explanation of effects, but it may be a necessary ingredient for a trustworthy analysis of causality.
