Introduction to Theory-Driven Program Evaluation, 2nd Edition

6 The Evaluation of a $20 Million, Multiprogram, Work and Health Initiative

The purpose of this chapter is to provide the background and rationale for The California Wellness Foundation’s (TCWF) Work and Health Initiative (WHI) and to provide an overview of how program theory-driven evaluation science was used to design the initiative evaluation. This chapter begins with a brief summary of the literature that justified TCWF’s decision to invest $20 million dollars to promote health through work in the State of California (Donaldson, Gooler, & Weiss, 1998), and a discussion of the specifics of the mission of the WHI. Next, the evaluation approach and WHI framework are provided to illustrate the roles evaluation played in this rather complex project. ...