‘ Values in Evaluation is a breakthrough book that will change the way evaluators think about the relationship between facts and values. Using the tools of philosophy and insights from evaluation practice, the authors attack the inconsistencies in current thinking about the interplay of facts and values and give us an outline for reconstructing the approach to values within evaluation.’
–Gary T. Henry, Georgia State University
‘This book, as the title promises, unfurls the concept of value in the practice of program evaluation. The editors go well beyond recognizing that all data gathering and description are value laden and that all evaluators have value commitments shaping their designs. They examine the ethical and political burdens accompanying any evaluation contract. Out of an extended collaboration, Kenneth R. Howe and Ernest R. House together redirect their advocacy toward the pursuit of democracy.’
–Robert E. Stake, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
The authors use the tools of philosophy and the insights from evaluation practice to cut through current confusion about values and the interplay of facts and values. Four views of facts and values in evaluation are analyzed: those rooted in a fact-value dichotomy and those of radical constructivists, postmodernists, and deliberative democrats. The arguments are tough, the prose concise, and the insights compelling.
Table of Content
Introduction
The Problem of Values
PART ONE: VALUE CLAIMS
Facts and Values
Evaluative Reasoning
PART TWO: CRITIQUES OF OTHER VIEWS
The Received View
The Radical Constructivist View
The Postmodern View
PART THREE: DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRATIC EVALUATION
The Deliberative Democratic View
Good Practice
Conclusion
The Role of Evaluation in Society
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