Evaluation of two rural development projects using Q methodology

Abstract

This article shows the results of a research study whose aim was to use Q methodology, as a tool in rural development projects’ evaluation. Q methodology is a research methodology that allows a researcher to identify, understand, and categorize individual perceptions and opinions, and cluster groups based on those perceptions. This approach applied to evaluation of projects allows a deeper understanding of the beneficiaries’ perceptions. The study was carried out on two development projects, one at the province of San Luis and the other one at the province of La Pampa, Argentina, carried out by INTA, National Institute of Agriculture Technology. For each project three different stakeholders’ views about the projects’ results came out, regarding their scope and impact in the stakeholders’ life standards. The methodology proved its effectiveness in providing a deeper and more objective appraisal of issues that traditional evaluation disregards.