title: Celebrating the 21st anniversary of empowerment evaluation with our critical friends.
abstract: This special topic edition of E&PP presents the insights of luminaries in the field who have helped shape empowerment evaluation with their critiques, concerns, and congratulations. We celebrate their contributions to empowerment evaluation. This special topic edition of E&PP presents their comments about an evaluation approach that, according to president Stewart Donaldson, has "gone viral" across the globe (Donaldson, 2015). To set the stage for these critical friends' comments, additional context for their discussion is provided. In addition, this special topic edition concludes with a brief comment on their thoughts.
authors.affiliation: Fetterman Associates, University of Charleston, San Jose State University, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Stanford University, American Evaluation Association, 5032 Durban Court, San Jose, CA 95138, United States. Electronic address: fettermanassociates@gmail.com.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fetterman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, United States. Electronic address: wandersman@sc.edu.
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wandersman
mesh_terms: D000846:Anniversaries and Special Events; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D011209:Power, Psychological; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012693:Serial Publications
keywords: Alkin; Capacity building; Concepts; Critiques; Donaldson; Empowerment evaluation; Fetterman; History; Kaftarian; Patton; Principles; Scriven; Steps; Theory; Wandersman; controversy