Can evaluations influence programs? The case of compensatory education

Evaluators have often had trouble providing analyses that are of practical use to policymakers. A major reason for this is that evaluators characteristically pay little attention to variables that are politically relevant. The National Institute of Education's evaluation of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education act, used extensively by Congress in 1977–1978, provides a clear example of how attention to political concerns can pay off for evaluators in increased utilization of their products.     

The Consistency of WTO Rules: Can the Single Undertaking Be Squared with Variable Geometry?

The diversity of countries that negotiate commitments in theWorld Trade Organization (WTO), and the distinctions betweentheir legal and constitutional systems, implies important differencesin how agreements are approved, implemented, and enforced. Althoughconsistency is among the desirable attributes to which the multilateraltrading system should strive, it cannot be achieved at the expenseof all other desiderata. Among the reasons for relaxation ofthis goal is the need to accommodate the different legal systemsand levels of economic development among Member States, as wellas the demands for flexibility in negotiations. This paper reviewsthe development and current status of the debate over consistencyin the multilateral system, with special emphasis on the perspectivesof three different sets of participants: the United States,the European Union (EU), and developing countries. In the trade-offbetween the depth and the width of the trading system, the paperasks whether WTO Members should be more interested in expandingthe scope of globally agreed rules or in securing countries’adherence to them? It explores the possible consequences forthe Doha Development Agenda (DDA) if the US Congress cannotbe convinced to make a new grant of trade promotion authority(TPA) after the current one expires. It also discusses whetherthe single undertaking should continue to shape the terms ofthe DDA. In discussing the WTO’s approach to decision-makingand the possible need for reforms thereto, the paper also considershow best and on what grounds should new issues be introducedon the negotiating agenda. The paper argues that whether ornot the DDA is conducted on the basis of a single undertaking,and with or without TPA, the multilateral trading system willcontinue to provide for less than full consistency.     

Anger biting. The hidden impulse

Based upon the paralogical reasoning of the anger-impulsive biter, this paper addresses the overload of emotional catharsis which can block a full memory of the biting event and suspend the logical infrastructure of rational behavior. In an effort to overcome these types of investigative difficulties, the paper suggests an approach to resolve dilemma through decompressing the emotional content into path ways of logical understanding. By offering a network of rationale hooks, the perpetrator becomes better equipped to acknowledge the deed.     

Cognizance and Consultation of Randomized Controlled Trials among Ministerial Policy Analysts

Consultation of scientific evidence by policy actors has been the foci of attention of knowledge utilization scholars for decades. The present study questioned the extent to which randomized controlled trials (RCTs)—generally seen as the gold standard of scientific research—are known and consulted by policy analysts in ministerial settings. Using cross‐sectional data collected in 17 ministries in Québec (Canada), our study showed that fairly high levels of policy analysts report never having heard of RCTs, thus possibly hindering effective communication of scientific results to relevant policy makers. Statistical analyses reveal the importance of cognitive factors in explaining both phenomena.