Foresight evaluation is in increasing demand as a result of the increasing use of foresight in policymaking. In many situations, evaluation of foresight projects will resemble traditional project evaluation. That said, foresight evaluation requires some modifications with respect to traditional programme evaluation, especially because of the need to address the challenges of complexity, long-time horizons, qualitative nature of the work, and largely intangible and multiple foresight outcomes. With respect to the latter, appropriate designs and methods have been developed by a dedicated group of evaluators and funders over the last 20 years, resulting in a significant body of evaluation work applicable to foresight. This paper presents evaluation theories and practices that are important to keep in mind when designing a foresight evaluation, calling out specific constructs and methods that are useful in diverse foresight settings. It is intended for evaluators and foresight practitioners with evaluation expertise and will be particularly helpful for evaluators new to foresight, helping them navigate the foresight space. For foresight practitioners with limited or no evaluation expertise, this paper will provide a detailed overview of all that evaluation has to offer or a new way of thinking.

GARDNER Annette;  BONTOUX Laurent;  BARELA Eric; 

2026-08-12

Association of Professional Futurists

JRC138233

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=dbf7a57311fc28a61cb465d93e5fd887ad10ba52076a916d38da0dc4bfee7a4cJmltdHM9MTc4MzU1NTIwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=02b7c7d0-d333-67ca-15ed-d1b8d25f662e&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXZhbGNvbW11bml0eS5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjQvMTIvQVBGLUFwcGx5LUV2YWx1YXRpb24tVGhpbmtpbmctUHJhY3RpY2UtdG8tRm9yZXNpZ2h0LURlYy4tMjAyNC5wZGY,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC138233,