1. Evaluation Standards in an International Context (Arnold Love, Craig Russon).
The authors present a definition of terms, analyze the standards debate that took place during the formation of the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation, and look to the future.

2. Background and History of the Joint Committee’s Program Evaluation Standards (Donald B. Yarbrough, Lyn M. Shulha, Flora Caruthers).
This chapter describes the zeitgeist that gave rise to modern program evaluation in general and to the creation of North American evaluation standards in particular.

3. The Development and Status of Evaluation Standards in Western Europe (Thomas Widmer).
For many years, the European evaluation community did not recognize evaluation standards as a relevant tool for quality assurance. Since the early 1990s, however, discussion about evaluation standards has accelerated in Europe.

4. Data- and ­Literature-Based Reflections on Western European Evaluation Standards and Practices (Wolfgang Beywl, Sandra Speer).
The authors highlight a ­Europe-wide empirical study on evaluation standards within one policy field, and then reflect on evaluation standards used at different administrative levels of the European Commission.

5. The Origin and Development of the African Evaluation Guidelines (Jean-Charles Rouge).
The author describes the development of the African Evaluation Guidelines, giving special emphasis to the role of the African Evaluation Association.

6. National Evaluation Standards for Australia and New Zealand: Many Questions but Few Answers (Doug Fraser).
From the author’s perspective, contextual factors have shaped an environment in Australia and New Zealand that thus far has not been conducive to the profession’s developing and advocating its own evaluation standards.

7. The CARE International Evaluation Standards (Jim Rugh).
This chapter describes the efforts of a major nongovernmental organization, CARE International, to create a set of evaluation standards appropriate to its unique organizational culture.

8. Cross-Cutting Issues in International Standards Development (Craig Russon).
The results of an informal analysis of this issue’s chapters suggest that despite a proliferation of voluntary evaluation standards, implementation and use have yet to live up to their potential.

Index.