On the Principles of Comparative Evaluation

This article discusses both the methodological and theoretical principles involved in comparative evaluation. The term comparative evaluation refers to research in which an evaluation and the findings of the evaluation process are set in a comparative framework. The principles on which the comparative evaluation process should be based, however, are not always clear. This article analyses the content of these principles and begins with a discussion of the purpose and function of comparative evaluation. This is followed by an analysis of four different principles common to the method of comparative evaluation: selection of the evaluation object; the level of comparison; conceptual comprehension; and the analysis of the findings of an evaluation. When these principles are applied to the comparative evaluation study, the study most likely produces comparable and reliable information for organizational development work.

[1]  Marshall W. Meyer,et al.  Permanently Failing Organizations. , 1991 .

[2]  B. Peters.  Comparative Politics: Theory and Methods , 1998 .

[3]  Paul H. Gray.  The uses of theory , 1991 .

[4]  G. Sartori.  Comparing and Miscomparing , 1991 .

[5]  P. Broadfoot.  Making education count. Developing and using international indicators , 1994 .

[6]  Victoria E. Bonnell.  The Uses of Theory, Concepts and Comparison in Historical Sociology , 1980, Comparative Studies in Society and History.

[7]  Chris Argyris,et al.  Interpersonal competence and organizational effectiveness , 1962 .

[8]  H. Soydan,et al.  Evaluation as a Tool in the Development of Social Work Discourse , 1998 .

[9]  Carol Hirschon Weiss,et al.  The Interface between Evaluation and Public Policy , 1999 .

[10]  Andreas Balthasar,et al.  Learning from Evaluations , 2000 .

[11]  Ray Pawson,et al.  Nothing as Practical as a Good Theory , 2003 .

[12]  W. Shadish,et al.  Foundations of Program Evaluation: Theories of Practice , 1990 .

[13]  Charles K. Coe.  Local Government Benchmarking: Lessons from Two Major Multigovernment Efforts , 1999 .

[14]  J. March,et al.  Financial Adversity, Internal Competition, and Curriculum Change in a University. , 1978 .

[15]  Melinda J. Anderson,et al.  A comparative evaluation of qualitative data analytic techniques in identifying volunteer motivation in tourism , 1999 .

[16]  D. Reynolds,et al.  Issues and implications of international effectiveness research , 1996 .

[17]  Lawrence C. Mayer.  Redefining Comparative Politics: Promise Versus Performance , 1989 .

[18]  Carol H. Weiss.  Evaluation Research: Methods of Assessing Program Effectiveness , 1972 .