The authors present a case study examining the potential for policies to be "evidence-based." To what extent is it possible to say that a decision to implement a complex social intervention is warranted on the basis of available empirical data? The case chosen is whether there is sufficient evidence to justify banning smoking in cars carrying…

Evidence-based policy-making and other recent reforms in public steering emphasize the role systematic evidence can play in improving decision making and public policies. Increasing deficits heighten the pressure on public authorities to legitimate public spending and to find savings. Existing studies show that the influence of research-based…

This chapter features a recent conversation with Dr. Arnold J. Love, a long-time proponent of internal evaluation and one of the most cited internal evaluation authors. In 1983, Love edited the first issue of "New Directions for Program Evaluation" on the topic of internal evaluation. He is the author of the book "Internal…

Reflections on the politics of program evaluation are presented. Topics discussed include policy question development and translation into evaluation questions, translation of evaluation questions into the evaluation proper, translation of evaluation findings into policy, and generation of new policy questions. (TJH)

How policy is developed and how evaluators can participate in the process are discussed, focusing on federal evaluators. The strongest weapon of an evaluator is a short, easy-to-read report with a simple, compelling message. Federal policy evaluators must learn to be content with slow gains. (SLD)

The five chapters of this special issue provide insights into how Scandinavians understand evaluation practice. Although there is no "Scandinavian" perspective on evaluation, theory and practice in the Scandinavian countries unfold against sociocultural and intellectual influences that differ from those of the United States. (SLD)

Six articles on the relationship between policy theory and the practice of policy evaluation are presented. Articles address basic theoretical issues, theories in practice, the epistemological foundations of decision technology, selection of policy analysis instrumentation, utilization of public policy analysis, and justifying policy arguments.…

The education evaluation efforts of the federal government are discussed, focusing on the question of their effectiveness in informing the policymaking process. Successful evaluation criteria are outlined. An evaluation must provide useful information to policymakers to be a success. (DWH)

The history of evaluation utilization in policy making and political features of program evaluation are discussed. A five-part continuum describes the evaluation process. Evaluation practice modifications contribute to real growth in evaluation use in congressional policy making as evaluation research improves the quality of information available…

A "policy communities" framework is proposed to explain why three evaluations of home care and services for the elderly in Quebec (Canada) either influenced, or failed to influence, policymaking in the area. It is suggested that program evaluation strategies should reflect the political context of the evaluation. (SLD)

Traditional evaluation approaches assume that consensus can be reached among policymakers, managers, and staff about goals that should guide a program. Evaluations of juvenile detention facilities and a home arrest program illustrate that consensus is not always possible. A constructionist evaluation approach is recommended for such situations.…

This chapter discusses the evolution of alumni studies in the United States and how alumni data can be used to inform public policy.

It is time for the field of evaluation to recognize that the ability to serve policy depends as much on what is understood about how politics works as it does on the quality and appropriateness of evaluation methods. Evaluations must be defensible as the political mix changes. (SLD)

Legislation has largely treated planning and evaluation in vocational education separately. There has been a history of increasing requirements in planning and evaluation and of diffusing responsibility. In addition, existing policy regarding vocational education's dominant mission shows a general lack of clarity. Such factors inhibit the linking…

As part of the military recruiting effort, the Department of Defense sponsors surveys of the national youth population to help design recruiting and advertising strategies. This report develops and applies a method of using the information contained in national youth surveys to estimate the probability that respondents taking the Armed Forces…