Trois conceptions de la nature des programmes

Implications pour l’évaluation de programmes complexes en santé publique

Abstract

This article discusses three perspectives on the nature of programs to clarify the purposes of an evaluation. An empirical realist program design views programs as real objects that allow dysfunctional and problematic objects to be repaired. In that view, the purpose of the evaluation is to determine the efficacy of programs to solve problems. An idealist design views both programs and the problems they address as representations, which leads to evaluation intended to reconcile the players’ representations. In a critical realist design both programs and problems are events resulting from causal mechanisms activated by the program players. From that perspective, the purpose of the evaluation is to support innovation and program transformation.