Download or read book Evaluation and Auditing Prospects for Convergence written by Carl Wisler and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 1996-11-07 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Both evaluation and auditing claim to help decision makers by providing them with systematic and credible information that can be useful in the creation, management, oversight, change, and occasionally abolishment of programs. Yet despite considerable overlap in objectives, subject matter, and clients, auditing and evaluation have until recently functioned largely in isolation from on another. The literature of each discipline scarcely recognized the existence of the other; academic preparation of auditors and evaluators could hardly be more different. Organizationally, the two activities have traditionally been separate. The practitioners have difficulty communicating with one another not only because of differences in vocabulary but also because of some important differences in mind-set. This issue of New Directions for Evaluation explores the question of whether auditing and evaluation are on convergent courses or whether the two disciplines will persist as distinctive services to decision makers. The chapters are based on presentations made at the International Evaluation Conference held in Vancouver, British Columbia, in November 1995. This is the 71st issue in the journal series New Directions for Evaluation. For more information on the series, please see the Journals and Periodicals page.

Download or read book Crossover of Audit and Evaluation Practices written by Maria Barrados and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2020-02-24 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crossover of Audit and Evaluation Practices brings together academic analysis with insights from practitioners to discuss the potential for collaboration in audit and evaluation practices between three professional disciplines. Clearly written and thoughtfully organized, this volume is structured in three parts to deal with theory, practice issues and how the practices have worked together. • Part One provides definitions of performance audit, internal audit and program evaluation. • Part Two addresses several challenges that professionals face in applying these standards and principles. • Part Three contains examples of organizational collaboration between the practices, how they have worked together and the lessons that were learned from that experience. Specific cases from the Government Accountability Office, and UNESCO, UNDP and Inter-Americas Development Bank illustrate what has worked or not and suggest reasons why. Crossover of Audit and Evaluation Practices offers even the most skilled and experienced professional insight on how to bridge some of the divides. It will help generate a better understanding of the activities and services that are either imposed on them or are freely available and help to stimulate their optimal use.

Download or read book The Road to Results written by Linda G. Morra-Imas and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2009 with total page 611 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The Road to Results: Designing and Conducting Effective Development Evaluations' presents concepts and procedures for evaluation in a development context. It provides procedures and examples on how to set up a monitoring and evaluation system, how to conduct participatory evaluations and do social mapping, and how to construct a "rigorous" quasi-experimental design to answer an impact question. The text begins with the context of development evaluation and how it arrived where it is today. It then discusses current issues driving development evaluation, such as the Millennium Development Goals and the move from simple project evaluations to the broader understandings of complex evaluations. The topics of implementing 'Results-based Measurement and Evaluation' and constructing a 'Theory of Change' are emphasized throughout the text. Next, the authors take the reader down 'the road to results, ' presenting procedures for evaluating projects, programs, and policies by using a 'Design Matrix' to help map the process. This road includes: determining the overall approach, formulating questions, selecting designs, developing data collection instruments, choosing a sampling strategy, and planning data analysis for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method evaluations. The book also includes discussions on conducting complex evaluations, how to manage evaluations, how to present results, and ethical behavior--including principles, standards, and guidelines. The final chapter discusses the future of development evaluation. This comprehensive text is an essential tool for those involved in development evaluation.

Download or read book Performance Auditing written by Jeremy Lonsdale and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'It is time, 15 years on from the coining of the "Audit Explosion", to re-appraise the growth of new forms of auditing. As we move into what might be called "Auditing in Austerity" this book gives us that overview. An extremely well-informed team of authors has been assembled to deliver a comparative analysis that successfully mixes "insider" and "outsider" perspectives. This should be required reading, not just for auditors and their academic hangers-on, but for the wider audience of those interested in contemporary developments in democratic accountability and policymaking.' – Christopher Pollitt, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium 'This book fills an important gap in the market. At a time when governments around the world face the largest deficits in decades, there is a strong need to reduce public expenditures whilst ensuring greater value for money from public services. This book addresses these concerns and many more. Each of the chapter authors is a senior practitioner and/or an academic who specialises in performance auditing and accountability in modern complex democracies. They explore the nature of the concepts which underlie current practice; set out a variety of institutional structures and processes, and identify the limits of both theory and practice. These make this a book of considerable significance and one which makes an important contribution to our understanding of the democratic process. This is not a narrowly-focused book only of interest to those who specialise in performance auditing. Given the richness of its analysis and the fine-grained understanding of institutions and processes, it has much to say to students of public administration, management and policy analysis. I am confident that this will rapidly become the standard reference for those who are interested in performance auditing.' – Peter M. Jackson AcSS, University of Leicester, UK 'What a good read. Insightful and challenging. It is likely to incite a lot of discussion on the wide-ranging views from the very well-informed and qualified contributors, not least from those who actually have to implement the findings and recommendations of performance audit reports. The focus is rightly on accountability for performance not only in achieving government program objectives in an economic, efficient and effective manner, but also on the audit institutions themselves. It should be welcomed by the public sector and particularly by the parliamentary institutions concerned with achieving accountability for government performance.' – Pat Barrett AO, Australian National University and former Australian Auditor-General (1995–2005) 'This book is a much welcome tonic for public administration. It is one of the few books that explicitly focus on how audit institutions carry out their performance auditing responsibilities. While auditors will likely read this, the authors have geared the book to a broader readership, including public managers who are often the subject of performance audits.' – From the foreword by Paul Posner, George Mason University, US This state-of-the-art book examines the development of performance audit, drawing on the experience in a number of different countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The expert contributors identify the trajectory of performance audit, examine how it is conducted and consider what it is contributing to effective government. They conclude that, in the face of new challenges, performance auditors should focus both on their core responsibilities to ensure accountability, and continue to develop more insightful and sophisticated approaches to enable them to assess the growing complexity of the delivery of public services. By doing so, they can continue to play a valuable role in democratic accountability. Providing an up-to-date overview and discussion of performance audit, this highly topical book will appeal to all those working within audit, academics working in the fields of public management and public administration, as well practitioners in and close to state audit institutions. Members of Parliament, evaluators, internal auditors, researchers, policy analysts and consultants will also find this book invaluable.

Download or read book Evaluation Theory Models and Applications written by Daniel L. Stufflebeam and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-10-13 with total page 800 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The golden standard evaluation reference text Now in its second edition, Evaluation Theory, Models, and Applications is the vital text on evaluation models, perfect for classroom use as a textbook, and as a professional evaluation reference. The book begins with an overview of the evaluation field and program evaluation standards, and proceeds to cover the most widely used evaluation approaches. With new evaluation designs and the inclusion of the latest literature from the field, this Second Edition is an essential update for professionals and students who want to stay current. Understanding and choosing evaluation approaches is critical to many professions, and Evaluation Theory, Models, and Applications, Second Edition is the benchmark evaluation guide. Authors Daniel L. Stufflebeam and Chris L. S. Coryn, widely considered experts in the evaluation field, introduce and describe 23 program evaluation approaches, including, new to this edition, transformative evaluation, participatory evaluation, consumer feedback, and meta-analysis. Evaluation Theory, Models, and Applications, Second Edition facilitates the process of planning, conducting, and assessing program evaluations. The highlighted evaluation approaches include: Experimental and quasi-experimental design evaluations Daniel L. Stufflebeam's CIPP Model Michael Scriven's Consumer-Oriented Evaluation Michael Patton's Utilization-Focused Evaluation Robert Stake's Responsive/Stakeholder-Centered Evaluation Case Study Evaluation Key readings listed at the end of each chapter direct readers to the most important references for each topic. Learning objectives, review questions, student exercises, and instructor support materials complete the collection of tools. Choosing from evaluation approaches can be an overwhelming process, but Evaluation Theory, Models, and Applications, Second Edition updates the core evaluation concepts with the latest research, making this complex field accessible in just one book.

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Evaluation written by Sandra Mathison and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2004-10-21 with total page 945 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All humans are nascent evaluators. Evaluation has been with us throughout history, and in its modern form has moved from the margins to the centers of organizations, agencies, educational institutions, and corporate boardrooms. No longer a specialized, part-time activity, evaluation has become institutionalized, a common practice, and indeed an important commodity in political and social life. The Encyclopedia of Evaluation is an authoritative, first-of-its-kind who, what, where, why, and how of the field of evaluation. Covering professional practice as well as academia, this volume chronicles the development of the field—its history, key figures, theories, approaches, and goals. From the leading publisher in the field of evaluation, this work is a must-have for all social science libraries, departments that offer courses in evaluation, and students and professional evaluators around the world. The entries in this Encyclopedia capture the essence of evaluation as a practice (methods, techniques, roles, people), as a profession (professional obligations, shared knowledge, ethical imperatives, events, places) and as a discipline (theories and models of evaluation, ontological and epistemological issues). International Scope Despite the fact that evaluation practice is not institutionalized in the same way around the world, the encyclopedia recognizes the international growth of the profession, due in large part to organizations such as UNICEF, the World Bank, and USAID. Entries cover the following: Afghanistan, Belgium, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Israel, Netherlands, Niger, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, and Uganda. In addition, the international group of authors includes contributions from more than a dozen nations. There are a number of stories about evaluation practice around the world that are set off as sidebars in the text. These stories provide a glimpse into the nature of evaluation practice in a diverse set of circumstances, delineate the common and uncommon issues for evaluators around the world, and point to the complexities of importing evaluation from one culture to another. Interdisciplinary Methodological Coverage Much of the practice of evaluation has grown out of the social science research tradition. While psychological methods and psychometrics continue to be useful, evaluation research today draws from a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, education, political science, literary criticism, systems theory, and others. This Encyclopedia covers all of the relevant methodologies, including both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Evaluators and Theories The Encyclopedia of Evaluation includes significant coverage of the major figures in the field throughout its history. Many of these figures are well known for a particular theory or approach, and whenever applicable, the entries make this connection for the reader as well as provide references for further reading. Good examples include Michael Quinn Patton and Utilization-Focused Evaluation, David Fetterman and Empowerment Evaluation, Daniel Stufflebeam′s CIPP Model of Evaluation, and Huey Chen and Theory-driven Evaluations. Key Themes • Concepts, Evaluation • Concepts, Methodological • Concepts, Philosophical • Concepts, Social Science • Ethics and Standards • Evaluation Approaches and Models • Evaluation around the World, Stories • Evaluation Planning • Evaluation Theory • Laws and Legislation • Organizations • People • Publications • Qualitative Methods • Quantitative Methods • Representation, Reporting, Communicating • Systems • Technology • Utilization Key Features • More than 100 contributors from around the world • Single, affordable volume with nearly 600 entries arranged alphabetically • Entries written by an international team of experts, including narratives that depict evaluation practice around the world • Reader′s Guide arranges entries into 18 thematic categories to facilitate browsing among core topics Editorial Board Ross Connor, University of California, Irvine Lois-Ellin Datta, Consultant Melissa Freeman, University at Albany Rodney Hopson, Duquesne University Saville Kushner, University of the West of England, U.K. Yvonna S. Lincoln, Texas A&M University Cheryl MacNeil, Community Activist and Evaluation Consultant Donna M. Mertens, Gallaudet University, Washington DC James Mugaju, UNICEF Zenda Ofir, EvalNet Michael Quinn Patton, Union Institute and University Hallie Preskill, University of New Mexico Debra Rog, Vanderbilt University Patricia Rogers, Evaluation Practitioner, Researcher, and Educator Thomas A. Schwandt, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Michael Scriven, Auckland University, New Zealand Elizabeth Whitmore, Carleton University, Canada

Download or read book Program Evaluation written by John M Owen and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2012-07-18 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a straightforward, practical introduction to evaluation for beginners and practitioners. It shows how to identify appropriate forms and approaches, using an original framework. The authors examine the role of evaluation in program development, and offer techniques for involving stakeholders in the planning process and for disseminating the evaluation findings. They use references to recent research and international examples.

Download or read book Utilization Focused Evaluation written by Michael Quinn Patton and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2008-06-18 with total page 689 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Fourth Edition of the bestselling Utilization-Focused Evaluation provides expert, detailed advice on conducting program evaluations from one of leading experts. Chock full of useful pedagogy—including a unique utilization-focused evaluation checklist—this book presents Michael Quinn Patton's distinctive opinions based on more than thirty years of experience. Key Features of the Fourth Edition Provides thoroughly updated materials including more international content; new references; new exhibits and sidebars; and new examples, stories, and cartoons Includes follow-up exercises at the end of each chapter Features a utilization-focused evaluation checklist Gives greater emphasis on mixed methods Analyzes the pluses and minuses of the increased emphasis on accountability and performance measurement in government at all levels Details the explosion of international evaluation Intended Audience Both theoretical and practical, this core text is an essential resource for students enrolled in Program Evaluation courses in a variety of disciplines—including public administration, government, social sciences, education, and management. Practitioners will also find this text invaluable.

Download or read book International Handbook of Educational Evaluation written by T. Kellaghan and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 1050 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thomas Kellaghan Educational Research Centre, St. Patrick's College, Dublin, Ireland Daniel L. Stufflebeam The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University, Ml, USA Lori A. Wingate The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University, Ml, USA Educational evaluation encompasses a wide array of activities, including student assessment, measurement, testing, program evaluation, school personnel evalua tion, school accreditation, and curriculum evaluation. It occurs at all levels of education systems, from the individual student evaluations carried out by class room teachers, to evaluations of schools and districts, to district-wide program evaluations, to national assessments, to cross-national comparisons of student achievement. As in any area of scholarship and practice, the field is constantly evolving, as a result of advances in theory, methodology, and technology; increasing globalization; emerging needs and pressures; and cross-fertilization from other disciplines. The beginning of a new century would seem an appropriate time to provide a portrait of the current state of the theory and practice of educational evaluation across the globe. It is the purpose of this handbook to attempt to do this, to sketch the international landscape of educational evaluation - its conceptual izations, practice, methodology, and background, and the functions it serves. The book's 43 chapters, grouped in 10 sections, provide detailed accounts of major components of the educational evaluation enterprise. Together, they provide a panoramic view of an evolving field.

Download or read book Progress and Future Directions in Evaluation Perspectives on Theory Practice and Methods written by Debra J. Rog and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 1997-01-24 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In doing so, we must be more cognizant of our responsibility to design and implement our studies with this broader contribution in mind.

Download or read book Collaboration in Public Services written by Bill Jenkins and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-10-19 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The International Group for Policy and Program Evaluation (INTEVAL) serves as a forum for scholars and practitioners of public policy to discuss ideas and developments as a community dedicated to enhancing the contribution of evaluation to government. From the group's studies has emerged a concern with the impact of public management reforms. Collaboration in Public Services examines collaboration in the delivery of public policies and identifies the challenges for policy and program evaluation. Written by a mix of academics, program managers, evaluators, and auditors, this volume explores the forms and challenges of collaboration in different national contexts. Chapter 1 introduces the notion and manifestations of collaboration and discusses emerging issues. Chapter 2 examines partnerships and networks of public service delivery. Chapter 3, drawing on Dutch and British data, reveals the QUANGO as both a collaborative end and means. Chapter 4 analyzes Israel's push to enhance collaboration with voluntary organizations. Chapter 5 examines the Canadian and Danish experiences. Chapter 6 suggests that the creation of markets to improve quality has not been totally successful at least in Nordic countries. Chapter 7 suggests that traditional service values such as trust and parliamentary accountability are challenged by the complexity of collaboration, but, using illustrations from Canada and other OECD countries, argues that results-based governance can increase trust, flexibility, and empowerment. Chapter 8 demonstrates from Dutch and Canadian experiences that auditor responses to collaborative delivery tend to overlook traditional roles as guardians of accountability on behalf of parliaments. Chapter 9 deliberates the efficacy of programs involving multiple partners. Chapter 10 discusses the lessons and challenges of evaluation and collaborative government.

Download or read book The SAGE Dictionary of Social Research Methods written by Victor Jupp and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2006-04-18 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together the work of over eighty leading academics and researchers worldwide to produce the definitive reference and research tool for the social sciences, The SAGE Dictionary of Social Research Methods contains more than 230 entries providing the widest coverage of the all the main terms in the research process. It encompasses philosophies of science, research paradigms and designs, specific aspects of data collection, practical issues to be addressed when carrying out research, and the role of research in terms of function and context. Each entry includes: - A concise definition of the concept - A description of distinctive features: historical and disciplinary backgrounds; key writers; applications - A critical and reflective evaluation of the concept under consideration - Cross references to associated concepts within the dictionary - A list of key readings Written in a lively style, The SAGE Dictionary of Social Research Methods is an essential study guide for students and first-time researchers. It is a primary source of reference for advanced study, a necessary supplement to established textbooks, and a state-of-the-art reference guide to the specialized language of research across the social sciences.

Download or read book Evaluation written by Melvin M. Mark and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2000-09-15 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is essential reading for anyone interested in evaluation. The authors draw from their experiences to present a practical theory of evaluation. It provides a thorough discussion of the processes involved in conducting evaluations in both public and nonprofit organisations and programs.

Download or read book Program Theory in Evaluation Challenges and Opportunities written by Patricia J. Rogers and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2000-10-30 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This issue explores the current state of program theory as it has developed over the last ten years and examines the role program theory can play in a range of new areas that have recently arisen in evaluation. The contributors draw on a review of the literature to discuss the history of program evaluation, its diversity in application, and its strength and limitations in practice, including the special challenges related to causal inference. They describe opportunities for program theory to help evaluators in areas such as measuring performance, replicating successful programs, helping program staff understand the support evaluation, and conducting meta-analysis. They outline a future agenda for program theory evaluation, explain why it is essential that there be an increase in real-world tests and applications, and more. This is the 87th issue of the quarterly journal New Directions for Evaluation.

Download or read book Program Evaluation written by Emil J. Posavac and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For upper-level undergraduate/ graduate-level courses in Program Evaluation, Program Planning, Program Administration, and Public Administration, in departments of Psychology, Sociology, Criminal Justice, Corrections, Public Health, Public Administration, Political Science, Human Services, Community Nursing, Educational Administration, Higher Education, Substance Abuse Program Administration, and Social Work. Comprehensive yet accessible, this text provides a practical introduction to the skills, attitudes, and methods required to assess the worth and value of human services offered in public and private organizations in a wide range of fields. Students are introduced to the need for such activities, the methods for carrying out evaluations, and the essential steps in organizing findings into reports. The text focuses on the work of people who are closely associated with the service to be evaluated, and is designed to help program planners, developers, and evaluators to work with program staff members who might be threatened by program evaluation.

Download or read book Current and Emerging Ethical Challenges in Evaluation written by Jody L. Fitzpatrick and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 1999-07-14 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With recent developments in the evaluation field such as privatization and mandated outcome-focused evaluation, evaluators today face new and complex ethical challenges regarding stakeholders, the public good, and utility. This volume of New Directions for Evaluation explores how evaluators can avoid, reduce, or resolve the ethical conflicts that arise. The authors offer a cost-benefit approach to exploring the ethics of various research designs and make recommendations for achieving a balance between neutrality and advocacy. They shed light on the ethical challenges evaluators face when collaborating with foundations and communities; working in a culture different from their own; and determining the nature of stakeholder involvement. This is the 82nd issue of the quarterly journal New Directions for Evaluation.

Download or read book The Practice Theory Relationship in Evaluation written by Christina A. Christie and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2003-05-13 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring research's impact on evaluation practice The Practice-Theory Relationship in Evaluation: New Directions for Evaluation presents the finding of a unique empirical study of evaluation, comparing the reported practices of evaluation theorists with real-world practices in the field. A selection of leading authorities offer both analyses and perspectives on the study's impact on the field, prompting deep consideration of the role of empirical study of evaluation and the relationship between concept and practice. Empirical study of evaluation is key to improving practices and developing alternate approaches, and this book stimulates the level of debate necessary for determining future directions.