Using Theory To Improve Program And Policy Evaluations: (Contributions In Political Science)

This collection of essays edited by Hueytsyh Chen and Peter H. Rossi underscores the importance of theory in program evaluation and analyzes the nature and implications of theorydriven evaluations. Scholars from different disciplines cover a wide range of issues, such as functions of program theory, the interface between theory and methods, strategies for formulating theory, cost and resource constraints, different types of theorydriven evaluations, and the future implications of such evaluations. This broadbased analysis is designed for interdisciplinary audiences in all the social sciences, including political scientists, sociologists, and public administrators.This policy study analysis points to four types of theory that guide evaluations and describe theorydriven metaevaluation. Five approaches are used to analyze research strategies and methods. Three applications offer insights into programs and policies and their implementationmultigoal theorydriven approaches, programs for the homeless, and children's mental health services. Five chapters examine applications in impact assessment and costbenefit analysisthe importance of theory in selection modeling, the impact of plant closings, researchbased theory for educational planning and evaluation, using metaanalysis in evaluation, and theorydriven approaches to costbenefit analysis.