Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

Praise for the third edition of the Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

"Mix three of the most highly regarded evaluators with a team of talented contributors, and you end up with an exceedingly practical and useful handbook that belongs on the reference shelf of every evaluator as well as program and policy officials." —Jonathan D. Breul, executive director, IBM Center for The Business of Government

"Joe Wholey and his colleagues have done it again—a remarkably comprehensive, thoughtful, and interesting guide to the evaluation process and its context that should be useful to sponsors, users, and practitioners alike." —Eleanor Chelimsky, former U.S. Assistant Comptroller General for Program Evaluation and Methodology

"Students and practitioners of public policy and administration are fortunate that the leading scholars on evaluation have updated their outstanding book. This third edition of the Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation will prove once again to be an invaluable resource in the classroom and on the front lines for a public service under increasing pressure to do more with less."—Paul L. Posner, director, public administration, George Mason University, and immediate former president, the American Society of Public Administration

"The third edition of the Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation reflects the evolving nature of the field, while maintaining its value as a guide to the foundational skills needed for evaluation." —Leslie J. Cooksy, current president, the American Evaluation Association

"This third edition is even more of a must-have book than its earlier incarnations—for academics to give their students a comprehensive overview of the field, for practitioners to use as a reference to the best minds on each topic, and for evaluation funders and consumers to learn what is possible and what they should expect. I've been in evaluation for 35 years, and I used the first and second editions all the time."—Michael Hendricks, Ph.D., independent evaluation consultant

Joseph S. Wholey is professor emeritus at the School of Policy, Planning, and Development at the University of Southern California.

Harry P. Hatry is director of the Public Management Program at the Urban Institute, where he also previously served as director of the State-Local Government Research Program.

Kathryn E. Newcomer is director of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University.