Foundations of evaluation for planetary health, written by Astrid Brousselle, is a new release published by the University of Victoria Libraries ePublishing Services. It can be downloaded for free on UVicSpace: https://hdl.handle.net/1828/22858
Foundations of Evaluation for Planetary Health offers a comprehensive framework for reimagining evaluation in the context of polycrises. Grounded in the 2024 Earth Day Evaluation Declaration, the book integrates planetary health lenses across all major evaluation questions and steps, from logic models to logic analysis, effect analysis, and implementation analysis, economic evaluation, needs assessment, and monitoring. By embedding planetary health perspectives into mainstream evaluation methodologies, this textbook equips researchers, evaluators, and policymakers with theoretical foundations and practical tools to address environmental and social interdependence in the Anthropocene.
Author
Astrid Brousselle
I was born in France, lived in Paris from the age of eight, and moved to Canada when I was 18 years old. I spent most of my life in Canada. I hold a bachelor’s degree in economics, a master’s in health administration, and a PhD in public health from the Université de Montréal. During my Ph.D., I conducted an implementation analysis of the UNAIDS initiative for access to HIV/AIDS drugs in Chile. After completing my Ph.D. under the supervision of François Champagne, an expert in evaluation, and Gilles Bibeau, an anthropologist, I deepened my knowledge and practice of evaluation approaches and methods as a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University under the supervision of Céline Mercier.
Between 2005 and 2010, I held a research position in the Department of Health Administration at the Université de Montréal. In 2010, I began a research position at the Université de Sherbrooke, where I held a Canada Research Chair in Evaluation and Health System Improvement. The goal of the chair was to leverage the evaluation process to influence the situation or intervention being studied. At the end of 2017, I moved to Victoria (British Columbia, Canada) as the Director of the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria, where I served a five-year term. Between 2015 and 2019, I was the French editor of The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation/Revue canadienne d’évaluation de programme, and I served on the editorial board of Evaluation and Program Planning for many years. I am currently the Editor-in-Chief of The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation/Revue canadienne d’évaluation de programme.
Throughout my career, I have experimented with various evaluation approaches in diverse contexts, reflecting on their strengths and limitations. I have worked extensively with participatory approaches and have found that, while they work well in some contexts, they are less effective in polarized settings. This led me to explore other approaches better suited to these contexts. I have also conducted various economic evaluations and explored innovative approaches in this field. Additionally, I have developed and applied theory-based approaches to evaluation. Recently, I became interested in the concept of post-truth. I am deeply grateful to have worked with many students who share a passion for evaluation, applying a variety of approaches in their dissertations, theses, and projects.
Since 2015, my focus has shifted to the socio-ecological transition. I could not continue working on the healthcare system while witnessing the devastating impacts of climate change and other environmental crises on both human beings and other species. This realization led me to develop new frameworks and approaches in evaluation, aiming to support transformative practices that contribute to healthy and sustainable living environments.
As both a human being and a researcher, I uphold the values of integrity, decolonization, equity, diversity, sustainability, democracy, and engagement. I strongly believe that a different world must be created, one that respects the human rights of all, worldwide, and that celebrates the richness of diverse cultures. A unifying element across these values and agendas is the fundamental importance of relationships with nature, human beings, and all forms of life.
Evaluation for planetary health acknowledges the importance of nurturing positive relationships in all that we do and serves as an invitation to create systems in which all can thrive.
