Assessing Impact Evaluation Methods: A Comparative Analysis and Proposal for an Integrated and Transformative Framework

Abstract

The growing complexity of public policies and socio-ecological transitions demands evaluation tools that integrate environmental, economic, and social dimensions across multiple governance contexts. However, the main evaluation impact methods are fragmented and sector-specific, limiting their ability to capture cross-scale interdependencies and sustainability of trade-offs. While existing reviews address methods in isolation, no updated systematic framework is built upon joint epistemological and participatory dimensions, proposing an integrated and transformative framework. Through a common analytical framework—encompassing the type of impact assessed, territorial scale, methodological approach, degree of stakeholder participation, and operational complexity—the paper presents a systematic comparative review of eleven widely used evaluation methods, covering the environmental, economic, social, and multidimensional dimensions. These methods are selected through screening of peer-reviewed literature published between 2022 and 2025 using an AI-assisted text-mining protocol to support keyword extraction, methodological classification, and manual validation. Its focus is on the analysis and critique of their characteristics, complexity, and epistemological limitations, particularly focusing on measurability and participation. The comparative analysis reveals a structural epistemological gap between qualitative bottom-up perspectives and quantitative, top-down approaches, as well as structural fragmentation across evaluative dimensions. They also draw attention to the approaches’ inadequate ability to manage non-linear dynamics, uncertainty, and transformative scenarios, which affects the legitimacy, comparability, and general efficacy of decision-making processes. Building on these, the paper advances a paradigmatic shift toward three systemic integrated principles: (i) systemic evaluation grounded in methodological and epistemological integration; (ii) transformative evaluation oriented toward collective learning and the redefinition of development trajectories; and (iii) co-produced evaluation based on the active engagement of territorial actors.