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Applying contribution analysis: Lessons from five years of practice
Contribution analysis (CA) has been advocated and discussed more than it has been applied. This article draws on five evaluations applying CA in the context of EU policies in the areas of development aid, agriculture, employment, and governance. Over the last five years, the authors have developed their capacity to implement the six steps of CA and especially to draft contribution stories and t…
- Edition
- Volume 18 Number 3, July 2012 p. 281-293
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1356-3890
- Collation
- p. 281-293
- Series Title
- Evaluation : The International Journal of Theory, research and Practice
- Call Number
- -
Making contribution analysis work: A practical framework for handling influen…
This article examines the methodological strengths and weaknesses of contribution analysis. The authors contend that a salient characteristic of contribution analysis is its accounting for influencing factors and alternative explanations. We argue that contribution analysis in its current form needs further methodological and practical elaboration in this respect. Therefore, this article pays p…
- Edition
- Volume 18 Number 3, July 2012 p. 294-309
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1356-3890
- Collation
- p. 294-309
- Series Title
- Evaluation : The International Journal of Theory, research and Practice
- Call Number
- -
Applications of contribution analysis to outcome planning and impact evaluation
Contribution analysis is a structured approach to theory-based impact evaluation originally developed in Canada in the context of Results-Based Management (RBM) although there have been few examples of contribution analysis in practice since Mayne’s original paper (2001). We argue that contribution analysis adds value to other theory-based evaluation approaches by providing a more structured an…
- Edition
- Volume 18 Number 3, July 2012 p. 310-329
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1356-3890
- Collation
- p. 310-329
- Series Title
- Evaluation : The International Journal of Theory, research and Practice
- Call Number
- -
Linking theory-based evaluation and contribution analysis: Three problems and…
Contribution analysis and theory-based evaluation are linked. This article discusses the contributions of several (recent) developments to further deepen the links between theory-based evaluation and contribution analysis. This will be done by describing how three well-known (and almost classical) problematic situations for impact evaluations can be addressed through the application of insights…
- Edition
- Volume 18 Number 3, July 2012 p. 348-363
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1356-3890
- Collation
- p. 348-363
- Series Title
- Evaluation : The International Journal of Theory, research and Practice
- Call Number
- -
A utilization-focused approach to contribution analysis
Utilization-focused evaluation involves identifying and working with primary intended users to design and interpret an evaluation. This includes the process of working with primary intended users to render judgments about the extent to which the preponderance of evidence supports a meaningful and useful conclusion about degree to which an intervention has affected observed outcomes and impacts.…
- Edition
- Volume 18 Number 3, July 2012 p. 364-377
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1356-3890
- Collation
- p. 364-377
- Series Title
- Evaluation : The International Journal of Theory, research and Practice
- Call Number
- -
Towards an evidence base of theory-driven evaluations: Some questions for pro…
This article discusses the further development of theory-driven evaluation approaches that are informed by contribution analysis. Using an illustrative example of an ongoing dance/physical activity programme for health promotion, a number of challenges are identified when applying a theory-driven evaluation approach. These challenges are reformulated as questions that need to be answered to mak…
- Edition
- Volume 18 Number 3, July 2012 p. 378-395
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1356-3890
- Collation
- p. 378-395
- Series Title
- Evaluation : The International Journal of Theory, research and Practice
- Call Number
- -
Does Excluding Some Groups From Research Designs Improve Statistical Power?
This article aims to contribute to a controversy over whether excluding some small or incomplete groups from a sample improves statistical power in group research designs (designs that relate group-level characteristics to group-level outcome measures). In a series of simulation studies, we examined the trade-off between lower reliability and smaller sample size that occurs when very small grou…
- Edition
- Volume 43 Number 4, August 2012 p. 387-409
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1046-4964
- Collation
- p. 387-409
- Series Title
- Small Group Research: An International Journal of Theory, Investigation and Application
- Call Number
- -
Collective Personality Effects on Group Citizenship Behavior: Do Diverse Grou…
This study examines the interaction of collective personality (i.e., the Big Five traits) and national diversity on group interpersonal citizenship behavior. Groups composed of diverse nationalities are theorized to manifest fewer initial shared understandings, enabling them to obtain more benefits than homogeneous groups from collective personality traits that promote better quality relationsh…
- Edition
- Volume 43 Number 4, August 2012 p. 410-442
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1046-4964
- Collation
- p. 410-442
- Series Title
- Small Group Research: An International Journal of Theory, Investigation and Application
- Call Number
- -
Reliability Estimates for Multilevel Designs in Group Research
Items that capture group members’ outcomes from small group processes (e.g., satisfaction, cohesion) are often nonindependent. A primary assumption of most measurement models is that the data are independent; applying such models to group-outcome data measured at the individual level of analysis is thus likely to produce inaccurate estimates. A solution to the measurement of nonindependent data…
- Edition
- Volume 43 Number 4, August 2012 p. 443-467
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1046-4964
- Collation
- p. 443-467
- Series Title
- Small Group Research: An International Journal of Theory, Investigation and Application
- Call Number
- -
Using the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model to Study the Effects of Group…
We extend the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM), a model originally proposed for the analysis of dyadic data, to the study of groups. We call this extended model the group actor–partner interdependence model or GAPIM. For individual outcomes (e.g., satisfaction with the group), we propose a group composition model with four effects; for group-level outcomes (e.g., group productivity), …
- Edition
- Volume 43 Number 4, August 2012 p. 468-496
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1046-4964
- Collation
- p. 468-496
- Series Title
- Small Group Research: An International Journal of Theory, Investigation and Application
- Call Number
- -
Triggers of Students’ Efficacious Interaction in Collaborative Learning Sit…
This article presents a case study that investigated primary school students’ social interaction while working in small groups in science. The aim was to identify what characterizes and triggers students’ efficacious interaction in collaborative learning situations. This was done by exploring and analyzing students’ and groups’ task involvement and the quality of their activity. The micro-level…
- Edition
- Volume 43 Number 4, August 2012 p. 497-522
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1046-4964
- Collation
- p. 497-522
- Series Title
- Small Group Research: An International Journal of Theory, Investigation and Application
- Call Number
- -
Presidents, Parties, and Referenda in Latin America
Over the past two decades the use of referenda has spread throughout Latin America, and 39 referenda have taken place since 1990. For some observers, referenda can improve accountability, promote participation, and reduce corruption. For others, given the strong tradition of Latin American presidentialism, referenda can be manipulated by populist presidents attempting to bypass unpopular repres…
- Edition
- Volume 45 Number 9, September 2012 p. 1159-1187
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1046-4964
- Collation
- p. 1159-1187
- Series Title
- Small Group Research: An International Journal of Theory, Investigation and Application
- Call Number
- -
Electoral Majorities, Political Parties, and Collective Representation
In practice, democracies privilege plurality parties. Theories of the democratic process challenge the democratic credentials of this practice. Abstract social choice theory wonders whether an electoral majority even exists. A more optimistic line of argument, prominent in research on collective representation, assumes that the policy position of the median voter embodies the majority electoral…
- Edition
- Volume 45 Number 9, September 2012 p. 1104-1131
- ISBN/ISSN
- 0010-4140
- Collation
- p. 1104-1131
- Series Title
- Small Group Research: An International Journal of Theory, Investigation and Application
- Call Number
- -
Citizens’ Conceptualizations of Democracy: Structural Complexity, Substanti…
Empirical evidence of how citizens around the world understand democracy highlights the predominance of the liberal model of democracy. Yet the existence of a dominant view does not mean that all citizens in every nation exclusively endorse a liberal conceptualization. Hence, this article asks whether public beliefs about the meaning of democracy affect people’s political attitudes and behavior…
- Edition
- Volume 45 Number 9, September 2012 p. 1132-1158
- ISBN/ISSN
- 0010-4140
- Collation
- p. 1132-1158
- Series Title
- Small Group Research: An International Journal of Theory, Investigation and Application
- Call Number
- -
Domestic and International Influences on Green Taxation
Economists have made a strong case for the relative efficiency of market-based mechanisms for environmental regulation such as cap and trade and “green taxes,” yet the spread of these forms has been limited, and traditional “command and control” regulation still predominates. The authors explain geographical and temporal variation in green tax burdens by considering their domestic and internati…
- Edition
- Volume 45 Number 9, September 2012 p. 1075-1103
- ISBN/ISSN
- 0010-4140
- Collation
- p. 1075-1103
- Series Title
- Comparative Political Studies
- Call Number
- -
Normative Resistance and Inventive Pragmatism: Negotiating Structure and Agen…
Transgender individuals and families throw existing taxonomic classification systems of identity into perplexing disarray, illuminating sociolegal dilemmas long overdue for critical sociological inquiry. Using interview data collected from 50 cisgender women from across (primarily) the United States and Canada, who detail 61 unique partnerships with transgender and transsexual men, this work co…
- Edition
- Volume 26 Number 4, August 2012 p. 574-602
- ISBN/ISSN
- 0891-2432
- Collation
- p. 574-602
- Series Title
- Gender & Society
- Call Number
- -
Gendered Organizations in the New Economy
Gender scholars draw on the “theory of gendered organizations” to explain persistent gender inequality in the workplace. This theory argues that gender inequality is built into work organizations in which jobs are characterized by long-term security, standardized career ladders and job descriptions, and management controlled evaluations. Over the past few decades, this basic organizational logi…
- Edition
- Volume 26 Number 4, August 2012 p. 549-573
- ISBN/ISSN
- 0891-2432
- Collation
- p. 549-573
- Series Title
- Gender & Society
- Call Number
- -
Adolescents of the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Male Role…
This article focuses on the influence of male role models on the lives of adolescents (N = 78) in the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study. Half of the adolescents had male role models; those with and those without male role models had similar scores on the feminine and masculine scales of the Bem Sex Role Inventory, as well as on the trait subscales of the State-Trait Personality In…
- Edition
- Volume 26 Number 4, August 2012 p. 603-638
- ISBN/ISSN
- 0891-2432
- Collation
- p. 603-638
- Series Title
- Gender & Society
- Call Number
- -
Fatherhood and Youth Sports: A Balancing Act between Care and Expectations
Youth sports have been recognized as an arena for men to meet increased cultural expectations of being involved in their children’s lives. Indeed, in contrast to other child care practices, many men are eager to take part in their children’s organized sports. Drawing on an ethnographic study of middle-class families in the United States, this study examines how men juggle two contrasting cultur…
- Edition
- Volume 26 Number 4, August 2012 p. 639-664
- ISBN/ISSN
- 0891-2432
- Collation
- p. 639-664
- Series Title
- Gender & Society
- Call Number
- -
The alchemy of austerity
The return of austerity has provoked social conflict, political controversy and academic disputes. In this article we explore some of these through the metaphor of an ‘alchemy of austerity’ that forms the foundation for strategies of state retrenchment through which the consent of populations is sought. We begin, in ‘Magical thinking’, by tracing some of the discursive repertoires that circulat…
- Edition
- Volume 32 Number 3, August 2012, p. 299-319
- ISBN/ISSN
- 0261-0183
- Collation
- p. 299-319
- Series Title
- Critical Social Policy
- Call Number
- -
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