This book reimagines evaluation as a morally committed, value-laden practice rooted in ethical reasoning and civic responsibility. It challenges the conventional frame and invites a deeper, more democratic approach to understanding and influencing change.

Highlights: 

• Co-authored with Thomas Schwandt; published by Guilford Press

• Unpacks the myth of value-neutrality in social research and argues for critical reflexivity about how values influence research and evaluation 

• Expands how we frame evaluation from assessing effectiveness to determining value based on multiple criteria, and then to co-developing value in adaptive change 

• Positions the role of researchers and evaluators as democratic professionals

• Check out reviews by Doug Dollinger (Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation) and Melvin Hall (American Journal of Evaluation)

“It is not hyperbolic to call this book one of the most important contributions to the evaluation and social science research literature in the last decade. It offers the perfect antidote to the pervasive and fallacious ‘valuphobia’ that has gripped the field.”
Thomas G. Archibald, PhD, Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, Virginia Tech

“An extraordinary achievement….Schwandt and Gates offer both a clear theoretical frame and real-world examples that will enable stakeholders to support more ambitious initiatives to significantly improve lives.”
Lisbeth B. Schorr, Senior Fellow, Center for the Study of Social Policy