Values in Evaluation and Social Research

Using the tools of philosophy and the insights from evaluation practice this book examines the concept of values in program evaluation. The authors analyze four views of facts and values in evaluation: those rooted in a fact-value dichotomy; those of radical constructivists; those of postmodernists; and those of deliberative democrats. The arguments are tough, the explanations concise and the insights compelling. ‘Goes well beyong recognizing that all data gathering and description are value laden. The authors of this book examine the ethical and political burdens accompanying any evaluation contract. House has gained a reputation in professional exchanges as an advocate of the underprivileged. Out of an extended collaboration, Howe and House together redirect their advocacy towards the pursuit of democracy’ - Robert E Stake, University of Illinois, Urbana ‘A breakthrough book that will change the way evaluators think about the relationship between facts and values.The authors attack the inconsistencies in current thinking about the interplay of facts and values and give us an outline for reconstituting the approach to values within evaluation’ - Gary T Henry, Georgia State University