Emerging Practices in International Development Evaluation

2013-03-01
Emerging Practices in International Development Evaluation

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  • Author: Stewart I. Donaldson
  • Publisher: IAP
  • ISBN: 1623961858
  • Category : Business & Economics
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 268

The impetus for this volume comes from reflecting on many years of experience, successes and failures in development evaluation in Asia and Africa, and from recent work supported by the Rockefeller Foundation on Rethinking, Reshaping, and Reforming Evaluation. The concepts, frameworks and ideas presented in this volume are a useful contribution to the ongoing efforts at rethinking, reforming and reshaping international development evaluation. They come from leading thinkers and practitioners in development, evaluation, research and academia who have recognized that development evaluation must evolve if it is to respond to the challenges of the 21st Century and play a meaningful role in social and economic transformation. This volume will be of great interest to evaluation scholars, practitioners, and students, particularly to those interested in international development projects, programs, and policies. This book will be appropriate for a wide range of courses, included Introduction to Evaluation, International Development Evaluation, Program Evaluation, Policy Evaluation, and evaluation courses in International Development, International Relations, Public Policy, Public Health, Human Services, Sociology, and Psychology.

The Future of Evaluation

2016-01-26
The Future of Evaluation

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  • Author: Wolfgang Meyer
  • Publisher: Springer
  • ISBN: 1137376376
  • Category : Political Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 399

Evaluation has become an important instrument for rational governance and is used in an increasing number of countries and policy fields. Recent developments at the global, national and local level are changing the conditions and functions of evaluation worldwide. This book examines current global development trends and changing demands for evaluation. It addresses issues surrounding professionalisation and globalisation, examining the need to strengthen accountability for social development in various different policy fields, regions and countries to improve governance and its impacts on social betterment. It also considers issues of quality, utility and further education and the upgrading of evaluation in a broad variety of different organisations, such as multilateral donor organisations, national public administrations, private consultancies, civil-society organisations, universities, and research institutes. With contributions from 30 different countries, this book combines a broad variety of viewpoints to examine the global future of evaluation.

Evaluation In Organizations

2024-07-09
Evaluation In Organizations

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  • Author: Darlene Russ-Eft
  • Publisher: Basic Books
  • ISBN: 154160363X
  • Category : Business & Economics
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 467

Take control of your resources and get the most out of your work with this helpful guide to organization and productivity From new product launches to large-scale training initiatives, organizations need the tools to measure the effectiveness of their programs, processes, and systems. In the third edition of Evaluation in Organizations, learning theory and evaluation experts Darlene Russ-Eft, Hallie Preskill, and Joshua B. Jordan integrate the most current research with practical application to provide the definitive resource on organizational evaluation for managers, human resource professionals, students, and teachers. From designing surveys and interviews to analyzing data to communicating results, the authors present a systematic and rigorous approach to conducting evaluations and using them to foster learning and enhance performance at all levels. Fully revised and updated to reflect new developments in the field, this comprehensive new edition of Evaluation in Organizations is designed to be accessible to as many different learning styles as possible.

Evaluation Use and Decision-Making in Society

2015-06-01
Evaluation Use and Decision-Making in Society

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  • Author: Christina A. Christie
  • Publisher: IAP
  • ISBN: 1681230062
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 192

This volume addresses a fundamental and highly debated issue in the evaluation field – the use of evaluation information for decision-making. Chapter authors honor the contributions of Professor Marvin C. Alkin to the evaluation use literature and advance our thinking on the topic by exploring a wide range of issues related to the theoretical and practical challenges of using evaluation information to make informed, evidence-based decisions. Readers will come away from this volume with a new and clearer understanding of the theoretical, contextual, methodological, and political dimensions of use and with direction for practice. Chapters are written by leading evaluation scholars, including Ernest House; Stewart Donaldson and Tarek Azzam; Eric Barela; Richard D. Nunneley, Jr., Jean A. King, Kelli Johnson, and Laura Pejsa; Eleanor Chelimsky; Michael Quinn Patton; and Wanda D. Casillas, Rodney K. Hopson and Ricardo L. Gomez. Evaluation Use and Decision-Making in Society: A Tribute to Marvin C. Alkin will be of great interest to evaluation students, scholars and practitioners. This volume has scholarly application for those who desire a state-of-the-art resource for the latest insights and perspectives on one of the most pressing issues that the evaluation field faces today, while also serving as a useful guide for both novice and experienced evaluation practitioners. It is appropriate for use in a variety of evaluation courses including Introduction to Evaluation and Procedural Issues in Evaluation as well as topical seminars such as Evaluation Use and Decision-Making.

Evaluation for an Equitable Society

2016-04-01
Evaluation for an Equitable Society

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  • Author: Stewart I. Donaldson
  • Publisher: IAP
  • ISBN: 1681234459
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 253

Governments and organizations of all shapes and sizes espouse values of equity and social justice. Yet, there are many examples of unfair social arrangements and employment conditions, dysfunctional government practices, and growing income inequality in both developed and developing countries worldwide. The profession and transdiscipline of evaluation is well equipped to address issues of inequality and social injustice, but until recently has been much more focused on primary stakeholder and donor satisfaction (being as useful as possible to funders of interventions and evaluations) and accountability concerns. The authors in this volume challenge the field of evaluation to become more concerned about using evaluation to develop more equitable organizations, governments, and societies. Leading evaluation theorists and practitioners including Michael Scriven, Jennifer Greene, Thomas Schwandt, Emily Gates, Sandra Mathison, Karen Kirkhart, Saville Kushner, Lois-Ellin Datta, Ernest House, Robert Stake, Patricia Rogers, Robert Picciotto and Stewart Donaldson, provide a range of visions for how evaluation can play a much larger role in facilitating social justice across the globe. Evaluation for an Equitable Society will be of great interest to evaluation practitioners, students and scholars. It will be of interest to those teaching and taking introductory evaluation courses, as well as advanced courses focused on improving evaluation theory and practice.

Credible and Actionable Evidence

2014-09-10
Credible and Actionable Evidence

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  • Author: Stewart I. Donaldson
  • Publisher: SAGE Publications
  • ISBN: 148335508X
  • Category : Social Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 296

Addressing one of the most important and contentious issues challenging applied research and evaluation practice today—what constitutes credible and actionable evidence?—this volume offers a balanced and current context in which to analyze the long-debated quantitative-qualitative paradigms. In the Second Edition, the contributors, a veritable "who’s who" in evaluation, discuss the diversity and changing nature of credible and actionable evidence; offer authoritative guidance about using credible and actionable evidence; explain how to use it to provide rigorous and influential evaluations; and include lessons from their own applied research and evaluation to suggest ways to address the key issues and challenges. Reflecting the latest developments in the field and covering both experimental and non-experimental methods, the new edition includes revised and updated chapters, summaries of strengths and weaknesses across varied approaches, and contains diverse definitions of evidence. Also included are two new chapters on assessing credibility and synthesizing evidence for policy makers. This is a valuable resource for students and others interested in how to best study and evaluate programs, policies, organizations, and other initiatives designed to improve aspects of the human condition and societal well-being.

Accreditation, Certification, and Credentialing: Relevant Concerns for U.S. Evaluators

2015-03-19
Accreditation, Certification, and Credentialing: Relevant Concerns for U.S. Evaluators

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  • Author: James W. Altschuld
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
  • ISBN: 1119057736
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 128

This is the 145th issue in the New Directions for Evaluation series from Jossey-Bass. It is an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.

System Evaluation Theory

2022-09-01
System Evaluation Theory

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  • Author: Ralph Renger
  • Publisher: IAP
  • ISBN:
  • Category : Business & Economics
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 218

Too often evaluation findings end up on the shelf! Why? Many interventions have several moving parts working together to achieve something each part cannot do independently. Unfortunately, many of the available evaluation approaches oversimplify this reality. A major reason for this is that evaluators do not have a blueprint to plan, and the associated methods to execute, an evaluation fit for this purpose. As such, they revert to using methods with which they are familiar, but are not suitable, for evaluating complex interventions. Consequently, the evaluation findings do not make sense to decisionmakers, so they are ignored. This book provides evaluators of all skill levels with a simple 3-step framework, System Evaluation Theory, that will lead to more actionable recommendations because the methods better capture the reality in which interventions operate; that is as a system. The book first reviews the limitations of program evaluation approaches that pointed to a need for a different way of thinking, one grounded in systems. After defining a system, the book explains how SET is intentionally aligned to evaluate a system’s two essential properties: interdependence and emergence. Individual chapters are dedicated to explaining how to execute each SET step. Throughout, the author draws on real-world examples and those from his own evaluations to help bridge the theory-practice divide. The reader is then shown how to use SET to develop actionable recommendations.

Practical Wisdom for an Ethical Evaluation Practice

2023-01-01
Practical Wisdom for an Ethical Evaluation Practice

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  • Author: Marthe Hurteau
  • Publisher: IAP
  • ISBN:
  • Category : Business & Economics
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 214

This book provides a contemporary and thought-provoking exploration of the concept of practical wisdom--what it is and how it can be incorporated into evaluation practice. It defines what practical wisdom is, explores its roots, where it stands today, what constitutes the "wise" evaluator, and how we can develop sound judgment in an unpredictable and chaotic time. It brings together evaluation thought leaders and practitioners to examine the concept of practical wisdom. The authors’ enlightening essays are interwoven with reflective strands comprised of commentaries, examples, and new ideas added by Hurteau and her colleagues that offer a recursive and intricate pattern of reflection on the topic of practical wisdom. This is a rare book because it moves beyond evaluation methodology to explore how practical wisdom can help us develop new and better solutions for difficult evaluation situations. It will become a standard reference for practitioners, trainers. and teachers of evaluation because it considers the history, ethics, and competencies that underpin practical wisdom, and examines the ways that this untaught skill can be applied, to do, as House says, “the right thing in the special circumstances of performing the job.”

Growing the Knowledge Base in Evaluation

2019-09-01
Growing the Knowledge Base in Evaluation

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  • Author: Jill Anne Chouinard
  • Publisher: IAP
  • ISBN: 1641137711
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 216

Evaluation use was identified by Henry and Mark (2003) as being the single most studied area in the field of evaluation. They refer with a sense of nostalgia to the ‘golden age’ of research on use perhaps almost implying that it came and went. Professor J. Bradley Cousins has had a longstanding and continuing commitment to advancing theory and practice regarding use through empirical research on evaluation, and through the professional development of students and practitioners within North America and internationally. The important influence and impact of the contributions of Cousins and associates is the focus of this edited book. This book brings together a distinguished, international group of authors, to reflect on the areas of contribution of Professor Cousins, and situate his work within contemporary areas of evaluation research and practice. Each chapter describes how the study and practice of evaluation has weaved its way through our understanding of organizational learning, participatory evaluation, and evaluation capacity building. The book concludes with a reflection by Professor Cousins himself on what these insights mean for the field of evaluation, and what future areas of research and contribution can be planned for and anticipated.