Building Effective Evaluation Capacity

The Second Edition of Building Evaluation Capacity provides 89 highly structured activities which require minimal instructor preparation and encourage application-based learning of how to design and conduct evaluation studies. Ideal for use in program evaluation courses, professional development workshops, and organization stakeholder trainings, authors Hallie Preskill and Darlene Russ-Eft cover the entire process of evaluation, including: understanding what evaluation is; the politics and ethics; the influence of culture; various models, approaches and designs; data collection and analysis methods; communicating and reporting progress and findings; and building and sustaining support. Each activity includes an overview, instructional objectives, minimum and maximum number of participants, range of time required, materials needed, primary instructional method, and procedures for facilitators to help learners in the most common evaluation practices.

In the 1960s, policy and program evaluation was used to improve government programs and enhance monitoring. In the 1970s and 1980s, evaluation was redefined as a tool of accountability, via the budgetary process, to assess government performance against standards and objectives. Building Effective Evaluation Capacity draws upon three decades of experience and observation to derive prescriptive lessons. A wealth of illustrative case studies of good practice highlight the book. Rather than proposing a single model for evaluation capacity development, this comparative approach allows readers to apply the findings to their own circumstances. Building Effective Evaluation Capacity will be of interest to public policy specialists, economists, and students of government and comparative politics.

In the 1960s, policy and program evaluation was used to improve government programs and enhance monitoring. In the 1970s and 1980s, evaluation was redefined as a tool of accountability, via the budgetary process, to assess government performance against standards and objectives. Building Effective Evaluation Capacity draws upon three decades of experience and observation to derive prescriptive lessons. A wealth of illustrative case studies of good practice highlight the book. Rather than proposing a single model for evaluation capacity development, this comparative approach allows readers to apply the findings to their own circumstances. Building Effective Evaluation Capacity will be of interest to public policy specialists, economists, and students of government and comparative politics.

The perspective that informs this important book is that every evaluation of a capacity development effort should itself contribute to the capacity development effort and ultimately to the organization’s performance. This is a revolutionary idea in evaluation. With the idea have come the questions: Can it be done? And, if it is done, what will be the consequences? This book elucidates and deepens the idea, shows it can be done, and examines the consequences, both intended and unintended, of engaging in capacity development evaluation

Romania is an active player in various international higher education areas, while undergoing a series of higher education reforms within its national framework. The Higher Education Evidence Based Policy Making: a necessary premise for progress in Romania project was implemented by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) in the timeframe February 2012 – February 2014, being co-financed by the European Social Fund through the Operational Programme “Administrative Capacity Development”. The project aimed to increase the capacity of public administration for evidence-based policy making in the field of higher education, while focusing on good practices at international level and impact assessment. With the contribution of the national and international experts, the project has generated a number of analysis and studies on the existing higher education public policies (quality assurance, internationalisation, equity, data collection, the Bologna Process, financing of higher education). Based on the results of the project, the book will reunite a number of policy research articles which would tap into the innovative aspects of the project's activities and provide a concise overview of what good practices can be drawn from the empirical research conducted in this project. The book will therefore aim to improve the information on Romanian higher education reforms, as well as on the concrete evidence-based policy proposals which could be transformed into future policy solutions in the Romanian higher education system.

Monitoring and Evaluation Training fills a gap in the literature by providing readers with a systematic approach to monitoring and evaluation (M&E) training for programs and projects. Bridging theoretical concepts with practical, how-to knowledge, authors Scott Chaplowe and J. Bradley Cousins draw upon the scholarly literature, applied resources, and over 50 years of combined experience to provide expert guidance for M&E training that can be tailored to different training needs and contexts, from training for professionals or non-professionals, to organization staff, community members, and other groups with a desire to learn and sustain sound M&E practices.