Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement: An Introduction to Practice

Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement: An Introduction to Practice, Second Edition offers an accessible, practical introduction to program evaluation and performance measurement for public and non-profit organizations, and has been extensively updated since the first edition. Using examples, it covers topics in a detailed fashion, making it a useful guide for students as well as practitioners who are participating in program evaluations or constructing and implementing performance measurement systems. Authors James C. McDavid, Irene Huse, and Laura R. L. Hawthorn guide readers through conducting quantitative and qualitative program evaluations, needs assessments, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses, as well as constructing, implementing and using performance measurement systems. The importance of professional judgment is highlighted throughout the book as an intrinsic feature of evaluation practice.

James C. McDavid (PhD, Indiana, 1975) is a professor of Public Administration at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. He is a specialist in program evaluation, performance measurement, and organizational performance management. He has conducted extensive research and evaluations focusing on federal, state, provincial, and local governments in the United States and Canada. His published research has appeared in the American Journal of Evaluation, the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation and New Directions for Evaluation. He is currently a member of the editorial board of the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation and New Directions for Evaluation.

In 1993, Dr. McDavid won the prestigious University of Victoria Alumni Association Teaching Award. In 1996, he won the J. E. Hodgetts Award for the best English-language article published in Canadian Public Administration. From 1990 to 1996, he was Dean of the Faculty of Human and Social Development at the University of Victoria. In 2004, he was named a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Victoria and was also Acting Director of the School of Public Administration during that year. He teaches online courses in the School of Public Administration Graduate Certificate and Diploma in Evaluation Program.

Irene Huse holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Victoria and is a PhD student in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria. She has worked as an evaluator and a researcher in universities and the private sector. Her research has appeared in the American Journal of Evaluation, the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation and New Directions for Evaluation.

Laura R. L. Hawthorn holds a Master of Arts degree in Canadian history from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Victoria. After completing her MPA, she worked as a manager for several years in the British Columbia public service and non-profit sector before leaving to raise a family. She is currently living in Vancouver, running a small non-profit in the education field, and being mom to her two boys.