| Session Title: Surprise in Evaluation: Values and Valuing as Expressed in Political Ideology, Program Theory, Metrics, and Methodology |
| Think Tank Session 895 to be held in Santa Monica on Saturday, Nov 5, 9:50 AM to 11:20 AM |
| Sponsored by the Theories of Evaluation TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Jonathan Morell, Fulcrum Corporation, jamorell@jamorell.com |
| Discussant(s): |
| Tarek Azzam, Claremont Graduate University, tarek.azzam@cgu.edu |
| Joanne Farley, University of Kentucky, joanne.farley@uky.edu |
| Abstract: How does political ideology affect program theories, methodologies, and metrics? Participants will be randomly assigned to groups, and asked to sketch an evaluation based on one of three positions. 1) Government has an obligation to alleviate social inequities and thereby promote the public good. 2) Government's role is to uphold civil order so people to pursue their own goals, with the consequences of their actions being their own personal responsibility. In general, less government is better. 3) The family is the primary unit of social cohesion, and there resides the locus of decisions about issues such as health and education. Government can be active or passive, as long as it supports the centrality of the family as the locus of moral authority and daily living. During report backs and we will compare how the evaluation designs differ with respect to program theory, metrics, and methodology. |