Richard P. Nathan is Director of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Foreword
Michael J. Malbin

Preface to the New Edition

I. INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 ¿ Applying Social Science to Government

The Point of View of This Book
The Role of Applied Social Science
Endnotes

Chapter 2 ¿ Optimism and Disillusionment

Applying Macroeconomics
The Planning-Programming Budgeting System
Demonstration and Evaluation Research
Doubts Arise
Other Views
Demise of the PPB System
Assessing Demonstration and Evaluation Research
Endnotes

II. DEMONSTRATION RESEARCH

Chapter 3 ¿ The Nature of Demonstration Research

The Vocabulary of Demonstration Research
The Negative Income Tax Demonstrations
Other Income Maintenance Demonstrations
Demonstrations of Service-Type Programs
Endnotes

Chapter 4 ¿ Hurdles of Demonstration Research

Selection Bias
The Null Hypothesis
Contamination
Relations with Program Operators
Quality and Consistency Treatment
Cost and Quality of Data
Treatment of Human Subjects
The Uncertainty of Cost-Benefit Analysis
Conclusion
Endnotes

Chapter 5 ¿ Welfare Demonstration Studies

Supported Work
Results Focus on Welfare
Implications for Welfare Reform
MDRC's Work/Welfare Demonstrations
Endnotes

III. EVALUATION RESEARCH

Chapter 6 ¿ The Nature of Evaluation Research

The Federalism Barrier Reef
Scientific Implications
Endnotes

Chapter 7 ¿ Evaluating the California GAIN Program

The GAIN Process
The MDRC Evaluation
The Research Challenge
Discoveries in the Implementation Process
Endnotes

Chapter 8 ¿ The 1999 and 1996 National Welfare

Reform Laws
The Family Support Act of 1988
The Personal Responsibility Act of 1996
Endnotes

Chapter 9 ¿ Evaluating the Family Support Act of 1998
with Irene Lurie

Three Strategies
Little Fanfare or Rhetoric
Endnotes

Chapter 10 ¿ Evaluating the Personal Responsibility Act of 1996
with Thomas L. Gais

Changes Signals
New Partners
¿Diversion¿
Sanctioning
Political ¿Detoxification¿
Second Order Devolution
Adaptability of the Research Process
Endnotes

Chapter 11 ¿ Lessons from Evaluations of Employment and Training Programs

The CETA Public Service Employment Program
The ¿Complementarity¿ Approach
Studies of Individual Impacts under CETA
Endnotes

Chapter 12 ¿ The Beginning of the Field Network Evaluation Methodology

The Research Approach
Endnotes

IV. CONCLUSIONS

Chapter 13 ¿ Public Policy and Policy Research: Limits and Possibilities

Evaluation Research ¿ The Frontier of Applied
Social Science
The Demand for Policy Research
Concluding Comments
Endnotes

Index