Rethinking the Effectiveness of Social Programmes

Abstract

Social programme evaluation is becoming increasingly sophisticated in its reliance on experimental, quasi-experimental and pre-experimental designs. Yet, most of the formal work in this area continues to employ criteria of success and failure that are vulnerable to criticism on methodological grounds. It is argued that greater account should be taken in social programme evaluation of the pheno mena of "partial" and "delayed failure" which are two of the tangible consequences of social intervention.