All evaluations have a cost but not necessarily a value. Their value does not depend on their cost but on their use, and this article discusses factors affecting the use of evaluations. These factors could be taken into account in order to increase and improve the use made of evaluations and, consequently, their value. Two key issues (lags and the attribution problem) for the evaluation of the use of evaluations are discussed and a `possibilist' approach to evaluation use is presented.
Caracelli, V. J. and H. Preskill (eds) (2000) The Expanding Scope of Evaluation Use, New Directions for Evaluation 88. San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass.
Gladwell, M. (2000) The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. New York and London : Little, Brown and Company.
4.
Ingram, G.K. and O.N. Feinstein (2001) `Learning from Evaluation: The World Bank's Experience' , Evaluation Insights3(1): 4-6.
5.
Kirkhart, K.E. (2000) `Reconceptualizating Evaluation Use: An Integrated Theory of Influence', in V. J. Caracelli and H. Preskill (eds) The Expanding Scope of Evaluation Use, New Directions for Evaluation88, pp. 5-23. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
6.
McCloskey, D.N. (1994) Knowledge and Persuasion in Economics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
7.
Marra, M. (2000) `How Much Does Evaluation Matter?', Evaluation6(1): 22-36.
8.
Moore, M.H. (1995) Creating Public Value. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Worthen, B.R., J.R. Sanders and J.L. Fitzpatrick (1997) Program Evaluation: Alternative Approaches and Practical Guidelines, 2nd edn. New York: Longman.
