As evaluators, we are often asked to determine whether policies and programs provide value for the resources invested. Addressing that question can be a quandary, and, in some cases, evaluators question whether cost-benefit analysis is fit for this purpose. With increased interest globally in social enterprise, impact investing, and social impact…

Given the necessity to bridge the gap between what happened and what is likely to happen, this paper aims to explore how to apply Bayesian inference to cost-effectiveness analysis so as to capture the uncertainty of a ratio-type efficiency measure. The first part of the paper summarizes the characteristics of the evaluation data that are commonly…

Early childhood development and education (ECDE) is devolved in Kenya, which means that each of Kenya's 47 counties budgets for and implements ECDE independently. Kenya provides two years of preprimary education to children ages four and five. Given scarce resources, constructing facilities and hiring teachers are often principal considerations…

This article is an attempt to build an empirical ground for supporting the increased role of public funding in higher education. The rationale for the same becomes pertinent in the current scenario when "public good" nature of higher education is rapidly eroding. Various measures like the proportion of GDP/GSDP spent and the trend of per…

Adequate funding for the nation's schools to meet the call for higher student achievement has been a litigious issue. Spending on schools is a political choice. The choices made by state legislatures, in some cases, have failed to fund schools adequately and have incited school finance lawsuits in almost all states. These proceedings are generally…

Wise allocation of resources implies knowledge of which actions will yield the highest net benefit. Predicting benefit requires comparing objectives as to importance and setting priorities among them. This article discusses ways in which policy-makers can set priorities rationally. The advantages of ratios for comparing priorities are discussed.…

The central concept of this report is that total institutional expenditures must be reduced by nearly $10 billion a year by 1980. It presents a factual and and statistical analysis of how universities can utilize all their resources to combat financial crises in a period of declining growth rate. (MJM)

The interests of economists in educational systems have taken two directions: (1) Concern for the interchange of resources between educational systems and the national economy, and (2) an interest in the production of education. In expressing the resource interchange, economists rely on the language of productivity. Of concern is the global…

This review was undertaken to organize and present the findings of educational production function research by educators and economists. A summary of these findings could be a valuable aid in the educational decision making process, especially to administrators working in local school districts. Research of this type concentrates on determining…

This dissertation begins with a description of some methods employed in making public-sector resource-allocation decisions, with conclusions on the appropriateness of each method for evaluating the ongoing programs of a school system. The second section has been rewritten and published as "A Comprehensive Theory of Cost-Effectiveness" (EA 002…

A guide to cost studies in higher education is presented, with emphasis directed to the response of a four-year public institution to an externally mandated cost study. Cost studies are usually requested to guide budget allocations, either from an internal campus need or from outside pressures. Although much effort has been expended by various…

This report explores some techniques that could assist educational managers in their attempts to arrive at more optimal input and output mixes. Following a review of the literature on input-output analyses in education and a description of the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment Program (the basis of the present study), an empirical…

Planning, Programming, Budgeting System (PPBS) includes concepts and techniques for resource allocation decision making for rational and effective programming. Most federal agencies use PPBS for the development, analysis and presentation of resource needs. Traditional methods of budgeting focus primarily on resource inputs; PPBS focuses on both…

This monograph uses the empirical relationship between income and years of school completed to examine differences in private economic incentives to invest in education among important segments of the population of the United States. Specifically, the relationship between income and education is examined as it is affected by race, sex, age,…

A technique that institutional researchers can use to assist department chairpersons in balancing student needs and faculty resources is described. Basic institutional research office data is combined with departmental data so that the department heads can justify their needs, plan recruiting, select students to achieve a balance of faculty…