The Politics of Local Control and Program Evaluation in Community Context

Abstract

This is a case study of an evaluation of a Youth Fair Chance (YFC) program that discusses multiple challenges faced by our evaluation team. We consider the role of evaluators. in relation to the overall program structure, struggles among organizational stakeholders with special interests, and power differentials which impacted policy decision making, control of information, and ultimately, the outcomes of this evaluation. In identifying the particular issues that arose throughout the evaluation process, we hope others who face similar issues will benefit from our insights. We realize the issues we face are endemic to any evaluation process.