Political Issues in Research and Evaluation

Abstract

This paper has two connected themes. First, it discusses the relationship between the concepts "research" and "evaluation" and suggests that if one is interested in social change, "evaluation" is less useful an activity than "research." Second, it describes the situation in Australia when a new, social change oriented government came to power, and in order to achieve its social development goals embarked on a number of experimental programs, one of which the author "evaluated." The paper discusses the conduct and findings of the study, and in weaving together the two themes concludes that evaluation and research have very different conceptual, intellectual, ethical, operational, and political ramifications.