Evaluation

by Rossi, Peter H.; Freeman, Howard E.; Lipsey, Mark W.

• ISBN13: 9780761908937
• ISBN10: 0761908935
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: Sage Pubns

Summary

The book that has been a benchmark in evaluation has been further improved and updated. Relied on by over 90,000 readers as the text on how to design, implement and appraise the utility of social programmes, the Sixth Edition of Evaluation has been completely revised to include the latest techniques and approaches, as well as guidelines for how evaluations should be tailored to fit programmes and social contexts.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
1 Programs, Policies, and Evaluations	3	(34)
What Is Evaluation Research?	4	(5)
A Brief History of Evaluation Research	9	(11)
An Overview of Program Evaluation	20	(7)
Evaluation Research in Practice	27	(6)
Who Can Do Evaluations?	33	(2)
Summary	35	(2)
2 Tailoring Evaluations	37	(42)
What Aspects of the Evaluation Plan Must Be Tailored?	38	(1)
What Considerations Should Guide Evaluation Planning?	39	(15)
The Nature of the Evaluator-Stakeholder Relationship	54	(8)
Evaluation Questions and Evaluation Methods	62	(12)
Stitching It All Together	74	(2)
Summary	76	(3)
3 Identifying Issues and Formulating Questions	79	(40)
What Makes a Good Evaluation Question?	81	(7)
Determining the Questions on Which the Evaluation Should Focus	88	(27)
Collating Evaluation Questions and Setting Priorities	115	(1)
Summary	116	(3)
4 Assessing the Need for a Program	119	(36)
The Role of Evaluators in Diagnosing Social Conditions and Service Needs	120	(5)
Defining Social Problems	125	(1)
Specifying the Extent of the Problem: When, Where, and How Big?	126	(11)
Defining and Identifying the Targets of Interventions	137	(9)
Describing the Nature of Service Needs	146	(5)
Summary	151	(4)
5 Expressing and Assessing Program Theory	155	(36)
The Evaluability Assessment Perspective	157	(3)
Eliciting and Expressing Program Theory	160	(13)
Assessing Program Theory	173	(14)
Summary	187	(4)
6 Monitoring Program Process and Performance	191	(44)
What Is Program Monitoring?	192	(11)
Perspectives on Program Monitoring	203	(4)
Monitoring Service Utilization	207	(7)
Monitoring Organizational Functions	214	(6)
Monitoring Program Outcomes	220	(5)
Collecting Data for Monitoring	225	(4)
Analysis of Monitoring Data	229	(2)
Summary	231	(4)
7 Strategies for Impact Assessment	235	(44)
Key Concepts in Impact Assessment	236	(5)
Extraneous Confounding Factors	241	(3)
Design Effects	244	(13)
Design Strategies for Isolating the Effects of Extraneous Factors	257	(3)
A Catalog of Impact Assessment Designs	260	(8)
Judgmental Approaches to Impact Assessment	268	(1)
Quantitative Versus Qualitative Data in Impact Assessments	269	(2)
Inference Validity Issues in Impact Assessment	271	(3)
Choosing the Right Impact Assessment Strategy	274	(1)
Summary	275	(4)
8 Randomized Designs for Impact Assessment	279	(30)
Units of Analysis	279	(1)
Experiments as an Impact Assessment Strategy	280	(12)
Analyzing Randomized Experiments	292	(5)
Limitations on the Use of Randomized Experiments	297	(8)
Summary	305	(4)
9 Quasi-Experimental Impact Assessments	309	(34)
Quasi-Experimental Impact Assessment	309	(4)
Constructing Comparison Groups in Quasi-Experimental Evaluations	313	(19)
Some Cautions in Using Constructed Controls	332	(8)
Summary	340	(3)
10 Assessment of Full-Coverage Programs	343	(22)
Nonuniform Full-Coverage Programs	344	(3)
Reflexive Controls	347	(9)
Shadow Controls	356	(7)
Summary	363	(2)
11 Measuring Efficiency	365	(32)
Key Concepts in Efficiency Analysis	367	(7)
Methodology of Cost-Benefit Analysis	374	(16)
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis	390	(4)
Summary	394	(3)
12 The Social Context of Evaluation	397	(44)
The Purposefulness of Evaluation Activities	398	(2)
The Social Ecology of Evaluations	400	(17)
The Profession of Evaluation	417	(8)
Evaluation Standards, Guidelines, and Ethics	425	(6)
Utilization of Evaluation Results	431	(5)
Epilogue	436	(3)
Summary	439	(2)
Glossary	441	(10)
References	451	(26)
Author Index	477	(6)
Subject Index	483	(16)
About the Authors	499