From programs to systems: implications for program evaluation illustrated by the Community Mental Health Centers...

Many approaches can be used to develop understanding of service programs. These approaches vary in how much they rely on technical vs. political procedures, who controls them, purpose, scope of content, and generality of results. Only some of these approaches are usually considered program evaluation. This diversity is illustrated by a description of the history of 10 program evaluation-like approaches to understanding as they operated during the 18-year life of the federal Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) Program. When services were funded in federal categorical programs, information-gathering approaches focused narrowly on the program and its activities. It now appears that more widely useful information would result by shifting from the evaluation of "programs" to comparative analysis and evaluation of service systems.