Background: The dominant theoretical basis of our public health practice originates from a positivist or reductionist paradigm. It fails to take into account the complexity emerging out of public health's multiple influences originating from biological and social worlds. A deeper understanding of the interaction of elements that characterize the…

An evaluation strategy in which a set of process indicators is applied to programs to reduce maternal mortality in developing countries is presented. The four-stage strategy is illustrated for three interventions: (1) providing safe abortion services; (2) increasing knowledge of obstetric complications; and (3) improving medical care quality. (SLD)

The relevance of the stakeholder approach to evaluations of development assistance programs is examined. Ways in which the methodology can be useful in fostering interest in evaluation outcomes and in increasing the probability that evaluative recommendations will be implemented are discussed. (SLD)

Beneficiary assessment (BAS) involves participant observation and intensive qualitative interviewing in the project communities by nationals trained to develop information specific to the needs of project management and World Bank staff. BAS provides information about community-based factors affecting social sector project success. BAS's use since…

Issues in evaluating appropriate technology for developing countries are discussed. Measures to help incorporate technology assessment in the policy and planning apparatus of development programs are suggested. Preimplementation and postimplementation of technology assessment and the institutionalization of technology assessment are considered.…

The organization of monitoring and evaluation of public sector programs in South Asia is described, and the ways in which information from the studies is actually used are discussed. Reasons why there has been so little interest in evaluating the performance and maintenance of public sector programs are considered. (SLD)

The use of qualitative evaluation methods is explored as a means of overcoming constraints and complexities of evaluation of development programs. A case study demonstrating the application of qualitative analysis to monitoring and evaluation of the Basic Minimum Needs program in Thailand is presented. (SLD)

The experience of development assistance (donor) agencies with the monitoring and evaluation of their projects in the developing countries is reviewed. The concepts and definitions of monitoring and evaluation are traced and problems and issues that emerged in the 1970's are reviewed. Future directions are discussed. (SLD)

Determining which program evaluations in developing countries are appropriate/feasible for randomized experiments to plan and evaluate social programs is discussed. Five threshold conditions are defined. Reviews of experiments from Barbados, China, Colombia, Kenya, Israel, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Taiwan, and the United States illustrate the issues…

Because of increased aid to developing nations, cross-cultural evaluation has become more common. Whether culture has an influence on evaluation was studied by simulating a study of Mexican and U.S. agricultural administrators. Results demonstrate the effects of cultural differences on evaluation. (SLD)

A naturalistic approach to evaluation is illustrated through the description of the evaluation of a small-scale agricultural project in a village in Mali, West Africa. The evaluation considered program impact as well as the quality of the conclusions drawn using the illuminative model of evaluation. (SLD)

Learning from evaluation is discussed with reference to the experiences of the Norwegian aid administration. The study demonstrates that evaluation builds learning through involvement and through communication. An organization can maximize its learning by making the two modes supplement each other. (SLD)

An overview of the evaluation issues associated with contraceptive social marketing programs is provided. Methodologies covered include survey techniques, cost-effectiveness analyses, retail audits of sales data, time series analysis, nested logit analysis, and discriminant analysis. (TJH)