* Benchmarking cost-benefit analysis and testing impinge on every area of society* Important tool for business, educators, policy makers, planners and researchersWritten for nonprofessionals and professionals alike who wish to master the reading and critiquing of policy and program evaluation, "Evaluation in Practice" is packed with practical guidelines and useful examples. The book covers approaches to outcome evaluations, measurement, threats to internal validity, performance measurement, and benchmarking. It also introduces the basic experimental and quasi-experimental designs supported by an article that uses each design, and offers an explanation and critique of how the authors implemented the design. Primarily written for readers with a social science background the examples and articles in the book are taken from a variety of fields to illustrate the commonality of evaluation. Program and policy analysts, research directors, and assistant city managers will find the explanations and critiques of published evaluations particularly valuable.