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  4. United States Evaluation Policy: A Theoretical Taxonomy

United States Evaluation Policy: A Theoretical Taxonomy

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maj35thesisPDF.pdf (2.54 MB)
Permanent Link(s)
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/29402
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Cornell Theses and Dissertations
Author
Johnson, Margaret
Abstract

Efforts are currently underway in the US federal context to improve and strengthen evaluation practice and increase the use of evaluation results to inform policies and programs. However, these efforts remain unrealized, due partly to the lack of a comprehensive theoretical framework that views evaluation and related organizational processes and institutions as part of a larger system. Early intuitive theoretical taxonomies of evaluation policy suffer from the lack of connection to specific examples and instances, and are missing clear classification criteria that would allow practical application. To generate a grounded taxonomy of evaluation policy, this study surveyed members of the American Evaluation Association in 2009, asking them to generate examples of evaluation policy, and then to sort and rate these suggested policies. Results are analyzed using the concept mapping method of Trochim (1989), which first translates aggregate sorting decisions into conceptual "distances" on a two-dimensional dot map, then uses hierarchical cluster analysis to generate groupings of ideas. These groupings become the foundation for categories in a theoretical taxonomy. Findings reveal several different dimensions by which participants grouped evaluation policies, including the dimensions of "value" and "policy mechanism." A values-by-mechanisms taxonomy and instructions for its use in an evaluation policy inventory process are proposed.   iii

Date Issued
2012-01-31
Keywords
evaluation
•
policy
•
evaluation policy
Committee Chair
Trochim, William Michael
Committee Member
Waller, Maureen R.
Lichter, Daniel T.
Kenkel, Donald S.
Degree Discipline
Policy Analysis and Management
Degree Name
Ph. D., Policy Analysis and Management
Degree Level
Doctor of Philosophy
Type
dissertation or thesis

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