About the Book

This book helps practicing evaluators design and conduct competent evaluation studies, while explicitly considering resource and data constraints. The book is organized around a seven-step model developed by the authors, and which has been tested and refined in workshops that cater to a broad spectrum of evaluation practitioners. Vignettes from practice and case studies, representing evaluations from a variety of geographic regions and sectors, demonstrate adaptive possibilities for small projects with budgets of a few thousand dollars, or timelines as brief as a few days, to large-scale, long-term evaluations with multi-million-dollar budgets. The text is specifically designed to incorporate quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method designs.

Table of Contents:
Part 1. The RealWorld Evaluation Approach Chapter 1. Overview: RealWorld Evaluation and the Contexts in Which It Is Used Chapter 2. [Step 1] Scoping the Evaluation: First clarify the purpose Chapter 3. [Step 2] Budget Constraints: Not enough money Chapter 4. [Step 3] Time Constraints: Addressing scheduling and other time constraints Chapter 5. [Step 4] Data Constraints: Critical information is missing or difficult to collect Chapter 6. [Step 5] Addressing Political Influences: Reconciling different priorities and perspectives Chapter 7. [Step 6] Strengthening the Evaluation Design and the Validity of Conclusions Chapter 8. [Step 7] Making it Useful: Helping clients and other stakeholders use the evaluation findings and recommendations Part 2. A Review of Evaluation Methods and Approaches and their Application in RealWorld Evaluation: For those who would like to dig deeper on particular evaluation topics Chapter 9. Ensuring competent and ethical practice in the conduct of the evaluation Chapter 10. Theory-based evaluation Chapter 11. Evaluation designs Chapter 12. Quantitative evaluation approaches Chapter 13. Qualitative evaluation approaches Chapter 14. Mixed method evaluations Chapter 15. Sampling Chapter 16. Evaluating complex, multi-component development interventions Part 3. Organizing and Managing Evaluations and Strengthening Evaluation Capacity: For readers involved with the funding and management of evaluations Chapter 17. Organizing and managing evaluations Chapter 18. Strengthening evaluation capacity Chapter 19. Conclusions and challenges and the road ahead