Evaluation Foundations Revisited

Evaluation Foundations Revisited PDF Author: Thomas Schwandt
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 080479572X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Get Book Here

Book Description
Evaluation examines policies and programs across every arena of human endeavor, from efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS to programs that drive national science policy. Relying on a vast array of methods, from qualitative interviewing to econometrics, it is a "transdiscipline," as opposed to a formal area of academic study. Accounting for these challenges, Evaluation Foundations Revisited offers an introduction for those seeking to better understand evaluation as a professional field. While the acquisition of methods and methodologies to meet the needs of certain projects is important, the foundation of evaluative practice rests on understanding complex issues to balance. Evaluation Foundations Revisited is an invitation to examine the intellectual, practical, and philosophical nexus that lies at the heart of evaluation. Thomas A. Schwandt shows how to critically engage with the assumptions that underlie how evaluators define and position their work, as well as how they argue for the usefulness of evaluation in society. He looks at issues such as the role of theory, how notions of value and valuing are understood, how evidence is used, how evaluation is related to politics, and what comprises scientific integrity. By coming to better understand the foundations of evaluation, readers will develop what Schwandt terms "a life of the mind of practice," which enables evaluators to draw on a more holistic view to develop reasoned arguments and well fitted techniques.

Evaluation Foundations Revisited

Evaluation Foundations Revisited PDF Author: Thomas Schwandt
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 080479572X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Get Book Here

Book Description
Evaluation examines policies and programs across every arena of human endeavor, from efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS to programs that drive national science policy. Relying on a vast array of methods, from qualitative interviewing to econometrics, it is a "transdiscipline," as opposed to a formal area of academic study. Accounting for these challenges, Evaluation Foundations Revisited offers an introduction for those seeking to better understand evaluation as a professional field. While the acquisition of methods and methodologies to meet the needs of certain projects is important, the foundation of evaluative practice rests on understanding complex issues to balance. Evaluation Foundations Revisited is an invitation to examine the intellectual, practical, and philosophical nexus that lies at the heart of evaluation. Thomas A. Schwandt shows how to critically engage with the assumptions that underlie how evaluators define and position their work, as well as how they argue for the usefulness of evaluation in society. He looks at issues such as the role of theory, how notions of value and valuing are understood, how evidence is used, how evaluation is related to politics, and what comprises scientific integrity. By coming to better understand the foundations of evaluation, readers will develop what Schwandt terms "a life of the mind of practice," which enables evaluators to draw on a more holistic view to develop reasoned arguments and well fitted techniques.

Core Concepts in Evaluation

Core Concepts in Evaluation PDF Author: Lori A. Wingate
Publisher: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 1071883852
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 396

Get Book Here

Book Description
This unique book features original writings from evaluation′s foundational thinkers, together with new commentaries from contemporary authors. Each section includes an introduction to a core evaluation concept by the editors, a classic reading, two commentaries on that topic by contemporary authors, and a reflection guide written by the editors.

RealWorld Evaluation

RealWorld Evaluation PDF Author: Michael Bamberger
Publisher: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 1544318766
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 747

Get Book Here

Book Description
RealWorld Evaluation: Working Under Budget, Time, Data, and Political Constraints addresses the challenges of conducting program evaluations in real-world contexts where evaluators and their clients face budget and time constraints. The book is organized around the authors’ seven-step model that has been tested in workshops and practice environments to help the evaluation implementers and managers make the best choices when faced with real world constraints. The Third Edition includes a new chapter on gender equality and women’s empowerment and discussion of digital technology and data science.

Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods

Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods PDF Author: Michael Quinn Patton
Publisher: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 1483376052
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1172

Get Book Here

Book Description
Drawing on more than 40 years of experience conducting applied social science research and program evaluation, author Michael Quinn Patton has crafted the most comprehensive and systematic book on qualitative research and evaluation methods, inquiry frameworks, and analysis options available today. Now offering more balance between applied research and evaluation, this Fourth Edition illuminates all aspects of qualitative inquiry through new examples, stories, and cartoons; more than a hundred new summarizing and synthesizing exhibits; and a wide range of new highlight sections/sidebars that elaborate on important and emergent issues. For the first time, full case studies are included to illustrate extended research and evaluation examples. In addition, each chapter features an extended "rumination," written in a voice and style more emphatic and engaging than traditional textbook style, about a core issue of persistent debate and controversy.

Principles-Focused Evaluation

Principles-Focused Evaluation PDF Author: Michael Quinn Patton
Publisher: Guilford Publications
ISBN: 1462531822
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 462

Get Book Here

Book Description
How can programs and organizations ensure they are adhering to core principles--and assess whether doing so is yielding desired results? From evaluation pioneer Michael Quinn Patton, this book introduces the principles-focused evaluation (P-FE) approach and demonstrates its relevance and application in a range of settings. Patton explains why principles matter for program development and evaluation and how they can serve as a rudder to navigate the uncertainties, turbulence, and emergent challenges of complex dynamic environments. In-depth exemplars illustrate how the unique GUIDE framework is used to determine whether principles provide meaningful guidance (G) and are useful (U), inspiring (I), developmentally adaptable (D), and evaluable (E). User-friendly features include rubrics, a P-FE checklist, firsthand reflections and examples from experienced P-FE practitioners, sidebars and summary tables, and end-of-chapter application exercises. ÿ

The Road to Results

The Road to Results PDF Author: Linda G. Morra-Imas
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 0821379119
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 611

Get Book Here

Book Description
'The Road to Results: Designing and Conducting Effective Development Evaluations' presents concepts and procedures for evaluation in a development context. It provides procedures and examples on how to set up a monitoring and evaluation system, how to conduct participatory evaluations and do social mapping, and how to construct a "rigorous" quasi-experimental design to answer an impact question. The text begins with the context of development evaluation and how it arrived where it is today. It then discusses current issues driving development evaluation, such as the Millennium Development Goals and the move from simple project evaluations to the broader understandings of complex evaluations. The topics of implementing 'Results-based Measurement and Evaluation' and constructing a 'Theory of Change' are emphasized throughout the text. Next, the authors take the reader down 'the road to results, ' presenting procedures for evaluating projects, programs, and policies by using a 'Design Matrix' to help map the process. This road includes: determining the overall approach, formulating questions, selecting designs, developing data collection instruments, choosing a sampling strategy, and planning data analysis for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method evaluations. The book also includes discussions on conducting complex evaluations, how to manage evaluations, how to present results, and ethical behavior--including principles, standards, and guidelines. The final chapter discusses the future of development evaluation. This comprehensive text is an essential tool for those involved in development evaluation.

Essentials of Utilization-Focused Evaluation

Essentials of Utilization-Focused Evaluation PDF Author: Michael Quinn Patton
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 141297741X
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 489

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Provides both an overall framework and concrete advice for how to conduct useful evaluations that actually get used." - preface.

Evaluation in German Development Cooperation

Evaluation in German Development Cooperation PDF Author: Axel Borrmann
Publisher: Waxmann Verlag
ISBN: 3830972695
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Get Book Here

Book Description
In Germany, development cooperation is the policy field with the longest tradition in evaluation. All major German organisations in development cooperation use the instrument of evaluation - however, to different degrees with regard to qualitative and quantitative aspects. This study on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) analyses methodically analyses the way the different organisations evaluate, how much they know about the impact of their projects and programmes, and if or how their evaluation systems can be integrated a larger whole. Until now, there has been no comparable analysis, neither in other German policy fields nor in development cooperation of other European countries. Axel Borrmann arbeitet als Senior Economist im Hamburgischen WeltWirtschaftsInstitut (HWWI) (www.hwwi.org). Schwerpunkte seiner Forschungsarbeit sind internationale Handels- und Entwicklungspolitik sowie Entwicklungszusammenarbeit. Er ist als Gutachter für zahlreiche nationale und internationale Organisationen tätig. Axel Borrmann is Research associate at the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (www.hwwi.org). His main areas of research are international trade and development policy and development cooperation. He has been working as an expert for numerous national and international organisations.

Strategic Approach to the Evaluation of Programs Implemented Under the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde U.S. Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008

Strategic Approach to the Evaluation of Programs Implemented Under the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde U.S. Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030915393X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 215

Get Book Here

Book Description
At the request of Congress, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) will evaluate U.S. global programs to address HIV/AIDS. This book outlines the IOM's strategic approach for this evaluation.

Improving Healthcare Quality in Europe Characteristics, Effectiveness and Implementation of Different Strategies

Improving Healthcare Quality in Europe Characteristics, Effectiveness and Implementation of Different Strategies PDF Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
ISBN: 9264805907
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 447

Get Book Here

Book Description
This volume, developed by the Observatory together with OECD, provides an overall conceptual framework for understanding and applying strategies aimed at improving quality of care. Crucially, it summarizes available evidence on different quality strategies and provides recommendations for their implementation. This book is intended to help policy-makers to understand concepts of quality and to support them to evaluate single strategies and combinations of strategies.