Whose transition is being evaluated? How should the evaluator position themselves in practice?

Abstract

The European Union Green and Just Transition is a contested process in which technical and policy outcomes are inseparable from questions of fairness, inclusion and legitimacy. This article reports an exploratory, practice-based inquiry in Ireland using Soft Systems Methodology and a Social Presencing Theatre workshop with 17 participants. It examines whose transition is being evaluated and how evaluators position themselves in practice. The 4D Mapping made visible patterns of proximity, attention and exclusion, including an insider circle from which those most at risk remained distant. Drawing on the workshop and team reflection, the article proposes a triplicity of first-, second- and third-order evaluative practice. This workshop-informed heuristic connects assessment of policies and outcomes, examination of evaluative framing and boundaries, and attention to relationships as they unfold. It is offered to help evaluators and commissioners consider whose knowledge counts, who can influence decisions and what evaluative orientations make visible or leave unattended.