A randomized experiment that measures the impact of a social policy in a sample of the population reveals whether the policy will work on average with universal application. An experiment that includes only the subset of the population that volunteers for the intervention generates narrower "proof-of-concept" evidence of whether the…

Program evaluation as a methodology is discussed, and its application to government export promotion programs is examined. Because the variety of approaches to export program evaluation, resulting data are often of limited usefulness. A programmatic approach to program evaluation is proposed. (TJH)

The Panel concluded that, despite the several billions of dollars spent by the federal government over the past 15 years, American farmworkers and their families still live and work under conditions which are cruel and harsh by any standard. (Author/NQ)

Suggests four criteria (efficiency, return on investment, incentives, and equity) for evaluating and comparing public programs for poor children, and provides an overview of information available on eight large federal programs using these criteria. Positive effects of some programs are noted, and policy recommendations the evidence supports are…

This study argues for the use of public service employment (PSE) as a portion of an anti-recessionary fiscal policy package to include public works and tax cuts. Keynesian economics, deficit spending in this case, serves as the study's underpinnings. Chapter 1 reviews public service employment's current low status as an anti-recessionary measure.…

The history of the federal government's involvement in elementary and secondary school curriculum development is traced. An attempt is made to place this involvement within a social and political perspective. Effects of policies and programs are outlined, and questions concerning the federal role in curriculum development are explored. (Author/GK)

Reviews methodological weaknesses of studies that evaluate alternative settings and programs for long-term care of the elderly. Argues that research should provide better information and present options to clients, service providers, and policymakers, rather than studying whether one alternative is more effective than another. (Author/MJL)

Several social objectives influence government sponsorship of employment programs: (1) training for mobility to reduce disruptions caused by change; and (2) increasing skill levels to increase productivity. Evaluation of program effectiveness considers whether the program served its target groups, what activities were provided, and what the…

This first interim report of the National Commission for Manpower Policy on the manpower challenges of 1975 was developed to (1) assess the extent to which federal manpower and manpower-related programs provide a structure capable of responding to the current unemployment problems and (2) consider some of the long-run critical manpower issues that…

In a few years, the United States is going to have the largest number of teenagers it has ever had; at the same time, crime among teenagers is rising, and the recreational and learning activities and jobs that teenagers need for positive development are becoming scarcer in inner city and rural areas. Efforts in youth programs during the past 25…

This book seeks to stimulate inquiry into the area of implementation in three social policy areas: education programs; community-oriented programs; and transfer-payment*programs. It is intended for government groups and social science researchers, including analysts, who carry out programs, researchers who are engaged in social policy studies, and…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) commented on H.R. 2039, which would amend both the adult and youth titles of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). GAO's analysis suggested the following: (1) although H.R. 2039 proposes to target greater resources to those who are hard to serve by requiring that 50 percent of adult JTPA participants have one…

This monograph includes two reports describing the results of three years of field research on the implementation and impact of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) in Eastern Massachusetts. They represent a thorough and detailed study of the problems faced by prime sponsors in the initial years of CETA. The first report, CETA in…

Authored by a political scientist, the study focuses on the impact of two alternative policies, "political strategy" and "service strategy," designed to deal with the problem of poverty in American society. The central concern is the effect of the policies on the poor. The service strategy assumes that the poor differ from the…

During the year 1981, the National Advisory Council on Vocational Education (NACVE), composed of 37 members, conducted 4 full-membership meetings, in addition to meetings of committees of the Council. As a result of these meetings, the Council issued seven papers on the following topics: vocational education in correctional institutions; policy…