Full Description
Public policymaking is a high-stakes business that affects millions of citizens and budgets ranging in the billions of tax dollars in even the smallest of states. Policymakers need timely evaluative information reported in understandable language by unbiased sources. It is this need that evaluators at all levels of government, as well as those in many nonprofit organizations, seek to meet as they conduct evaluations, analyze policy options, and recommend action on the part of policymakers. The authors contributing to this volume examine theoretical and practical approaches to designing evaluation projects in ways that promote the use of evaluation results in high-stakes settings. The volume explores management of the politics of evaluation, which can be accomplished by considering the context in which an evaluation occurs and examining strategies for maximizing both evaluators' independence from and their responsiveness to key stakeholders. Unconventional approaches, such as prospective evaluation and development of analytical tools for use by agency personnel, are examined, as is promotion of evaluation use through a symbiotic relationship with performance measurement.The chapter authors discuss utilization strategies as applied to evaluations of public health, education, and corrections programs. The final chapter provides sage advice to evaluators on how to impact policy development.
Contents
Editor's Note, Rakesh Mohan, Kathleen Sullivan 1Managing the Politics of Evaluation to Achieve Impact, Rahesh Mohan, Kathleen Sullivan 7A Voice Crying in the Wilderness: Legislative Oversight Agencies' Efforts to Achieve Utilization, Gary R. VanLandingham 25Evaluators' Role in Facilitating the Convergence of Factors to Create Legislative Impact, Hal Greer 41The Influence of Evaluators on State Medicaid Policies: Florida and South Carolina's Experience, Yvonne Bigos, Jennifer Johnson, Rae Hendlin, Steve Harkreader, Andrea Truitt 51A Utilization-Focused Approach to Evaluation by a Performance Audit Agency, Ron Perry, Bob Thomas, Elizabeth DuBois, Rob McGowan 67Using a Crystal Ball Instead of a Rear-View Mirror: Helping State Legislators Assess the Future Impacts of Major Federal Legislation, Joel Alter, John Patterson 79Increasing Evaluation Use Among Policymakers Through Performance Measurement, Rakesh Mohan, Minakshi Tikoo, Stanley Capela, David J. Bernstein 89The Evaluator's Role in Policy Development, George F. Grob 99Index 109
