Purposeful Program Theory: Effective Use of Theories of Change and Logic Models

by Sue C. Funnell, Patricia J. Rogers

Between good intentions and great results lies a program theory—not just a list of tasks but a vision of what needs to happen, and how. Now widely used in government and not-for-profit organizations, program theory provides a coherent picture of how change occurs and how to improve performance. Purposeful Program Theory shows how to develop, represent, and use program theory thoughtfully and strategically to suit your particular situation, drawing on the fifty-year history of program theory and the authors' experiences over more than twenty-five years. "From needs assessment to intervention design, from implementation to outcomes evaluation, from policy formulation to policy execution and evaluation, program theory is paramount. But until now no book has examined these multiple uses of program theory in a comprehensive, understandable, and integrated way. This promises to be a breakthrough book, valuable to practitioners, program designers, evaluators, policy analysts, funders, and scholars who care about understanding why an intervention works or doesn't work." —Michael Quinn Patton, author, Utilization-Focused Evaluation "Finally, the definitive guide to evaluation using program theory! Far from the narrow 'one true way' approaches to program theory, this book provides numerous practical options for applying program theory to fulfill different purposes and constraints, and guides the reader through the sound critical thinking required to select from among the options. The tour de force of the history and use of program theory is a truly global view, with examples from around the world and across the full range of content domains. A must-have for any serious evaluator." —E. Jane Davidson, PhD, Real Evaluation Ltd. Companion Web josseybass.com/go/funnellrogers

Genres: Nonfiction

576 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 2011

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very fortunate that this book was published just as I started my final dissertation for a MSc in Grant-making, Philanthropy and Social Investment. My research topic was Theories of Change approaches to strategic planning in the context of a philanthropic (grant-making) foundation. This book was one of, if not the, most useful texts I was able to access whilst completing my dissertation and research project.

The authors' use the term 'programme theory' to cover a range of approaches to strategic planning and evaluation that share similar features. First, the primary importance of specifying a programme's ultimate objective i.e. first and foremost be clear what it is that you are trying to change or achieve. Second, the process that follows of building a logic sequence of steps that will take you from where you are to your intended goal. Third, the importance of building in monitoring and evaluation systems from the outset that will enable you to track the progress of your programme, and ultimately allow you to tell if (when, how and why) you have reached your ultimate objective. As such the term programme theory in this book is used to cover a wide range of familiar approaches e.g. logic models, theory of change approach, etc.

The written style of the book is very readable and clear, even when dealing with quite technical issues. A wide range of subjects are included in the book, including: outcomes chains, pipe-line logic models, evidence-based practice, complexity, situational analyses, etc. There were two particular insights that I found particularly useful, not only in terms of study, but also in influencing my professional practice. First, the importance of challenging presumptions around causality i.e. taking a belief that a certain action (e.g. parenting courses) will lead to certain outcomes (e.g. more happy children) and "holding it up to the light." This includes asking questions of evidence, whether there are multiple pre-conditions required for change, and the importance of programme and non-programme factors i.e. the factors that could influence your success that you can control and those that you cannot control. The philosophical underpinnings are sound with a clear and important explanation of the difference in logical programme terms between 'necessary' and 'sufficient'. Second, the importance of defining the specific attributes of your programme's intended outcomes, which importantly needs to include consideration of comparisons i.e. what are the baselines and trends relevant to your programme's outcomes. This is essential if you are to monitor and evaluate your programme's progress and impact.

My only reservation relates to the flip-side of the level of detail contained in the book. Increasingly, charities and foundations of all sizes are being encouraged to look adopt more formal approaches to planning and evaluation with the Theories of Change approach being the latest 'flavour of the month'. However, the majority of organisations within the sector are small and micro sized (i.e. incomes of less than £100k) and employ few, if any staff, and are therefore dependent on volunteers. Whilst this book is potentially very useful to all those organisations in that it starts from the beginning of defining exactly what you are trying to achieve and then how to build your plan from there, the level of detail contained therein is dizzying. Even as a full-time professional I struggled to follow the full detail of the text. In terms of practical use the book may well be too much for smaller organisations, and as such only be used by larger foundations and academics. This would be a pity as there is much in this book that could be very useful to the sector, and would perhaps merit an abridged practitioner's version.

[Sara (onourshelves)]

I read approximately 172 pages, or 6.5 chapters of this book, and I just could not. I understand that its not supposed to be a fun read or anything, and I was reading it (by my own choice) for work, but I got that far in, and even though they "had a section" describing what program theory was, they still never really explained it. That goes the same for every other chapter-- no tools were explained well in my personal opinion. If you have experience with program theory, this may be a good read for you, but if you have limited experience in program theory, it is not clear enough for helpful reading.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference text. Nice descriptions of theories of change and action.

[Jeanet Landsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It helps me time and time again developing logic models for programs to evaluate