1 What are evaluation and outcomes, and why do they matter?
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Helen Dickinson
Abstract
Evaluation is often considered to be a rather specialist and technical term, but we all engage in evaluation activities on a daily basis. At its most basic level evaluation may be considered the ‘process of determining the merit, worth or value of something, or the product of that process’ (Scriven, 1991, p 139). In deciding what car or cornflakes to buy we are making a comparative judgement about the worth or merit of the different cars or cornflakes available based on the information we have access to. Usually we are looking to get best value for the money we spend, or to find the product or service that is most suited to our needs and tastes.
We don’t only make judgements over the worth or merit of products and services that we are personally involved with purchasing, however. Whether it is reports of taxpayers’ money being ‘wasted’ through private-financed hospitals, large-scale procurements of computer systems for various public services, or re-branding services such as the Highways Agency, not a day goes by when there is not some report in the media over the alleged misuse of tax-funded services, organisations or products. The Tax Payers’ Alliance (2014) goes as far as to estimate that £120 billion of taxpayers’ money in the UK is ‘wasted’ annually – at least in terms of their evaluation. In a context of austerity and dramatic reductions to public spending budgets, if correct, this is a significant amount of money. Yet such conclusions are derived on the basis of a series of judgements and assumptions about the way the world is and should be.
Abstract
Evaluation is often considered to be a rather specialist and technical term, but we all engage in evaluation activities on a daily basis. At its most basic level evaluation may be considered the ‘process of determining the merit, worth or value of something, or the product of that process’ (Scriven, 1991, p 139). In deciding what car or cornflakes to buy we are making a comparative judgement about the worth or merit of the different cars or cornflakes available based on the information we have access to. Usually we are looking to get best value for the money we spend, or to find the product or service that is most suited to our needs and tastes.
We don’t only make judgements over the worth or merit of products and services that we are personally involved with purchasing, however. Whether it is reports of taxpayers’ money being ‘wasted’ through private-financed hospitals, large-scale procurements of computer systems for various public services, or re-branding services such as the Highways Agency, not a day goes by when there is not some report in the media over the alleged misuse of tax-funded services, organisations or products. The Tax Payers’ Alliance (2014) goes as far as to estimate that £120 billion of taxpayers’ money in the UK is ‘wasted’ annually – at least in terms of their evaluation. In a context of austerity and dramatic reductions to public spending budgets, if correct, this is a significant amount of money. Yet such conclusions are derived on the basis of a series of judgements and assumptions about the way the world is and should be.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of tables, figures and boxes vi
- Acknowledgements viii
- List of abbreviations ix
- Preface x
- What are evaluation and outcomes, and why do they matter? 1
- What does research tell us? 29
- Hot topics and emerging issues 59
- Useful frameworks and concepts 85
- Recommendations for policy and practice 105
- References 109
- Index 125
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of tables, figures and boxes vi
- Acknowledgements viii
- List of abbreviations ix
- Preface x
- What are evaluation and outcomes, and why do they matter? 1
- What does research tell us? 29
- Hot topics and emerging issues 59
- Useful frameworks and concepts 85
- Recommendations for policy and practice 105
- References 109
- Index 125
