Democratic Evaluation

Technocratic–Managerial Evaluation

Both MacDonald and House and Howe developed their theories in response to what can be termed the technocratic–managerial theory of program evaluation, which has shaped the field from its earliest days. This conception is technocratic in that it seeks to position evaluation as a value-neutral and apolitical activity, formally eschewing judgments about program values and goals. It is managerial in that it aligns itself with the interests and perspectives of program managers, fiscal patrons, and other parties with a vested interest.

As House argues in an influential history of professional evaluation, traditional institutions have declined in importance in modern capitalist societies. This is not to say that such institutions are necessarily less important in the lives of particular individuals and communities; rather, they have ceased to provide the generally accepted justification for social practice. This presents a challenge for modern states whose governments must appear responsive to the demands of diverse constituencies whose goals and interests often conflict. A “solution” that emerged from the mid-1960s on, most notably in the United States and the United Kingdom, seeks to ground social action in appeals to the authority of “reason” (i.e., scientific rationality) as applied to social programs.

Prior to 1965, formal program evaluation had been a marginal activity. With the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, however, it became a federal mandate. This expanded role for evaluation occurred at a time of social upheaval, during which marginalized groups and their allies vigorously pressed claims for the redress of long-standing injustice, and many members of historically privileged groups mobilized to preserve the status quo. Absent a shared cultural basis for determining political priorities, policy makers promoted evaluation as a value-neutral method for determining the merit of contentious social programs, many of which involved significant public expenditures and controversial expansions of government bureaucracy.

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