Inclui bibliografia e índice

1. An overview of program evaluation What is program evaluation? A brief history of evaluation The defining characteristics of program evaluation Evaluation research in practice Who can do evaluations? 2. Tailoring evaluations What aspects of the evaluation plan must be tailored? What features of the situation should the evaluation plan take into account? The nature of the evaluator-stakeholder relationship Evaluation questions and evaluation methods 3. Identifying issues and formulating questions What makes a good evaluation question? Determining the specific questions the evaluation should answer Collating evaluation questions and setting priorities 4. Assessing the need for a program The role of evaluators in diagnostic social conditions and service needs Defining the problem to be addressed Specifying the extent of the extent of the problem: when, where, and how big? Defining and identifying the targets of interventions Describing target populations Describing the nature of service needs 5. Expressing and assessing program theory The evaluability assessment perspective Describing program theory Eliciting program theory Assessing program theory Possible outcomes of program theory assessment 6. Assessing and monitoring program process What is program process evaluation and monitoring? Perspectives on program process monitoring Monitoring service utilization Monitoring organizational functions Analysis of program process monitoring data 7. Measuring and monitoring program outcomes Program outcomes Identifying relevant outcomes Measuring program outcomes Monitoring program outcomes 8. Assessing program impact: randomized field experiments When is an impact assessment appropriate? Key concepts in impact assessment Randomized field experiments Limitations on the use of randomized experiments 9. Assessing program impact: alternative designs Bias in estimation of program effects Quasi-experimental impact assessment Some cautions about using quasi-experiments for impact assessment 10. Detecting, interpreting, and analysing program effects The magnitude of a program effect Detecting program effects Assessing the practial significance of program effects Examining variations in program effects The role of meta-analysis 11. Measuring efficiency Key concepts in efficiency analysis Conducting cost-benefit analyses Conducting cost-effectiveness analyses 12. The social context of evaluation The social ecology of evaluations The profession of evaluation Evaluation standards, guidelines, and ethics Utilization of evaluation results Epilogue: the future of evaluation