| Session Title: Unintended Consequences of Program Action: When are They Problematic for Evaluation, and What Can We Do About Them? |
| Think Tank Session 741 to be held in Mencken Room on Saturday, November 10, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM |
| Sponsored by the Systems in Evaluation TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Jonathan Morell, NewVectors LLC, jamorell@jamorell.com |
| Discussant(s): |
| Glenda Eoyang, Human Systems Dynamics Institute, geoyang@hsdinstitute.org |
| Deborah Wasserman, The Ohio State University, wasserman.12@osu.edu |
| Abstract: Unintended consequences of program action are ubiquitous. However, these consequences do not always threaten the integrity of evaluation, or the ability of evaluators to serve their clients and meet the needs of the program's stakeholders. This session will present a framework for identifying when unexpected program activity is problematic for evaluation, and will outline tactics that may ameliorate the difficulty. The intent is to engage as wide a range of opinion as possible in discussion to advance our ability to deploy tactics that can buffer the effectiveness of evaluation against unanticipated program activity or impact. |