This comprehensive book serves as an excellent reference manual providing answers to virtually every conceivable question that can arise during the planning and implementation process of an evaluation. Aimed at readers with a limited knowledge in the field of evaluation techniques and who want to study further, this volume will serve all those who conduct evaluations themselves, as well as decision-makers who commission evaluations and those who are evaluated. All stakeholders of an evaluation should know about the characteristics and standards of a professional and competently implemented evaluation. The book offers a basic introduction to the foundations and the benefits of this type of investigation as well as a comparison of different evaluation approaches. It also deals with the practical organization of evaluations and presents a general overview of possible evaluation designs. After a discussion of the social context of evaluations, the book provides an in-depth methodological framework for data measurement, data collection and data management. It concludes with a description of the reporting process.

Being the first thorough and detailed manual of its kind, this Handbook will appeal to evaluation practitioners, policy-makers who conduct evaluations in their daily work, students training in applied research and organizations which are implementing projects and programmes that could be the subject of an evaluation.