ABSTRACT
The public policy spotlight has shifted toward economic and social inequality and the democratic deficit that underlies it. This is because the 2008 global economic crisis and its aftermath have brought into focus the dysfunctional social arrangements that allow a few individuals to accumulate enormous wealth while denying large segments of the world population of decent livelihoods. With the proliferation of evaluation societies around the globe, the center of gravity of the evaluation community has been shifting toward the zones of transition and turmoil of the developing world. Inequality generates health problems and reduces social cohesion. Health outcomes deteriorate when inequality rises and social programs are starved of resources. Mortality rates in the United States went up by 10 percent during the Great Depression. Rapid economic growth has been achieved at a huge environmental cost. Current energy and natural resources intensive policies are not sustainable.
