Some Perspectives on Evaluating Social Welfare Programs

The premise of this paper is that an evaluator's activity encompasses two distinct dimensions—a logic of inquiry and a system of social interaction that includes the evaluator, the sponsor of the evaluation, and the staff of the agency being evaluated. The influence of the social context is important and shapes some of the considerations of logical inquiry. It is obvious that participants in an evaluation may have varying perspectives on the purpose of evaluation and on how it should be conducted. These conflicting networks of self-interests and values are important data to be considered in any evaluation, and frequently act as a barrier to the involvement of academicians in evaluation activities. These same considerations often influence the utilization of the findings of an evaluation. We are suggesting that as an initial point of reference in utilization, the potential information-user must be involved in the inquiry process as an active participant, giving him an investment in the produced output of the study. Finally, it appears that the use of social science research tools in evaluation is sound, but that difficulties arise from using them in a particular social context.