Accepting the Responsibility of Program and Policy Improvement: Institutionalizing Evaluation in the U.S. Federal Government

• In Event: Research on Evaluation Session

Abstract

Despite marked growth in evaluation use and capacity in the U.S. Federal Government over the last 50 years, the levers that have driven institutional change have not previously been identified. This ethnographic study mapped the process and factors that have led to the diffusion of value in evaluation in the U.S. Federal Government. Analyses of interviews and the U.S. President’s Budget Analytical Perspectives captured shifts in the prioritization of evaluation over time. Thematic analyses revealed several actors, events, or policies of note that influenced the (de)institutionalization of evaluation that are manifested in cognitive, motivational, behavioral, and structural influences. This will paper will highlight the influence of educational programs and policies on the institutionalization of evaluation in the federal government.

Authors

• Esther Nolton, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

• Marvin Powell, George Mason University

• Divya Varier, George Mason University

• Valerie Jean Caracelli

• Rodney K. Hopson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign