Conducting ethical evaluations with disadvantaged and minority target groups

In certain circumstances, the evaluation of programs designed to serve disadvantaged and minority target groups may actually be threatening to stakeholders in those groups. When such threats are real, participation by these target groups in the evaluation may cause undue personal stress or not serve their best interests. An important question therefore is what can be done to address the ethical dilemma that arises when participation by these target groups in the evaluation may put them in jeopardy? The present paper examines the issues involved in addressing this question, particularly the roles that key stakeholders play throughout the evaluation process. Specifically, it is argued that involvement by these target groups in all phases of an evaluation as ‘co-operative partners,’ and not just at the stage of collecting data as ‘bystanders,’ is one way of addressing the dilemma that emerges when evaluators cannot guarantee that participation will not be threatening.