Notes trends and implications arising from the discussions in the other chapters of this theme issue, with a focus on the need to recognize the complexity of evaluation efforts involving multiple sponsors and stakeholders. Also notes the significance of multifaceted and complex environments in the conduct of evaluations in state and local…

Should evaluators care about the impact of evaluation on the public policy process? If the larger purpose of evaluation is social betterment, the public policy arena affords tremendous opportunities for evaluators to have both short- and long-term impact by influencing policy formulation, implementation, and outcomes. Working in the public policy…

In times of budget shortfalls and ever increasing demand for transparency and accountability for use of tax dollars in the public sector, it is clear that the use and influence of performance measurement has increased. "Performance measurement" is a "fairly inclusive term that may refer to the routine measurement of program inputs,…