Description
Book SynopsisIs a given treatment, intervention, or program worth it? How can a program do more or better with less? Evaluating the costs of a program can be the missing link between a superficial evaluation and one that will get changes made and funding delivered. In accessible language and without complex formulas, this book provides a roadmap for measuring program costs and outcomes and analyzing cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, and cost-utility. Also explained are simplified ways to use economic appraisal methodologies--such as net present valuation, internal rate of return computation, and payback period determination--in a cost-inclusive evaluation. Instructive examples span a range of human services, education, and health care contexts. Other evaluator- and student-friendly features include helpful graphics, procedure steps, end-of-chapter discussion questions, a list of acronyms, and a glossary of key terms.
Trade Review"In a time of heightened focus on results-driven managerial accountability, this book delves into program costs through a genuinely evaluative lens, strengthening evaluators' understanding of program outcomes and impacts. It takes examination of costs outside the exclusive domain of economists and accountants and explores cost types and dynamics that are seldom considered in decision making. In seemingly effortless prose, the authors provide a straightforward, user-friendly guide for novice to seasoned evaluators. The book elucidates the logic of cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis tools--and, most important, their usefulness in real-world evaluation endeavors."--Mita Marra, PhD, Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Italy; Editor-in-Chief, Evaluation and Program Planning
"This is a great book for a graduate evaluation topics course or for practitioners who want to expand their capabilities. Easy to follow, the book takes the reader through the process of cost-inclusive evaluation step by step, as well as discusses the pitfalls.”--Kimberly A. Fredericks, PhD, Dean, School of Management, Russell Sage College
“This welcome contribution to the field sheds much-needed light on the importance of measuring a wide range of costs when undertaking evaluations. It presents useful tools that are grounded in key technical processes. Of special note, the authors do a wonderful job in presenting the information in an accessible manner that is anchored in multiple perspectives and in the complex social contexts in which programs operate. The authors’ honest account of the reality that evaluators face is refreshing. By avoiding a strict financialization approach, the book strikes a careful balance between the technical and the human-centered, which helps us move into a more nuanced understanding and practice of cost analysis in evaluation."--Ruby Dagher, PhD, School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Canada-
Table of ContentsForeword, Michael Scriven
I. The Why, the Types, and the Tools of Cost-Inclusive Evaluation
1. Cost-Inclusive Evaluation
2. Types of Costs and Outcomes That Need to Be Considered in Cost-Inclusive Evaluations
3. Tools for Identifying and Measuring Costs and Outcomes and Other Issues for Consideration
II. Adapting Economic Methods to Enhance Cost-Inclusive Evaluation
4. Economic Appraisal Methodologies
5. Considerations When Using Economic Appraisal Methods
III. Adapting Concepts and Tools from Accounting to Improve Cost-Inclusive Evaluation
6. Financial Accounting Concepts and Tools
7. Cost and Management Accounting Concepts and Tools
IV. Cost-Inclusive Evaluation for the Scientist−Manager−Practitioner
8. Breaking Down Cost by Activity for Better Cost-Inclusive Evaluations
9. Completing the Model with Activity -> Process and Process -> Outcome Analyses
List of Acronyms
Glossary
References
Author Index
Subject Index
About the Authors
