FEEDBACK IN SOCIAL SYSTEMS - OPERATIONAL AND SYSTEMIC RESEARCH ON PRODUCTION, MAINTENANCE, CONTROL, AND ADAPTIVE FUNCTIONS (FROM EVALUATION AND EXPERIMENT, 1975, BY C A BENNETT AND A A LUMSDAINE)

• NCJ Number: 36931
• Author(s): D KATZ
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 59 pages
• Corporate Author: Academic Press, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS ESSAY EXAMINES QUESTIONS OF CONTEXT AND CONSTRAINTS IN THE EVALUATION OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS ORGANIZATIONS, AND NOTES THE WAYS IN WHICH EVALUATIVE DATA PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO PROGRAM OR INSTITUTIONAL OPERATIONS AND DECISIONS.

Abstract

PARTICULAR EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON THE WAY IN WHICH ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES AND CONSTRAINTS WILL AFFECT THE UTILIZATION OF EVALUATIVE DATA. THE AUTHOR DEPARTS FROM THE LINEAR STIMULUS-RESPONSE MODEL IN VIEWING ACTION AND REACTION AS A CONTINUING CIRCULAR PROCESS, AND CONTENDS THAT MORE ATTENTION IS NEEDED IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES TO THE INTERACTING MECHANISMS THAT AFFECT CHANGE AS WELL AS STABILITY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)