Political Context and Program Evaluation

The Inextricable Link

Abstract

Program evaluations have assumed a much greater importance as pressure on public expenditure increases. This article eschews evaluation designs that are politically vacuous by drawing attention to the importance of contextual variables in a case study of a community relations program based in Northern Ireland. The research illustrates the dilemma now faced by evaluators in the United Kingdom. The demands of short-term, context-stripped, value-for-money evaluations are often in conflict with context-bound qualitative enquiries that can uncover the unique mix of social, political, and cultural influences on program delivery. The dominance of macro-political variables are illustrated as one example of a unique mix within this program.