▁particularly ▁about ▁their ▁effect iveness ▁and ▁efficiency . ▁ ▁In ▁both ▁the ▁public ▁and ▁private ▁se ctors , ▁st ake hold ers ▁often ▁want ▁to ▁know ▁whether ▁the ▁programs ▁they ▁are ▁fund ing , ▁implementing , ▁voting ▁for , ▁receiving ▁or ▁object ing ▁to ▁are ▁producing ▁the ▁intended ▁effect . ▁While ▁program ▁evaluation ▁first ▁focus es ▁around ▁this ▁definition , ▁important ▁consider ations ▁often ▁include ▁how ▁much ▁the ▁program ▁costs ▁per ▁particip ant , ▁how ▁the ▁program ▁could ▁be ▁improved , ▁whether ▁the ▁program ▁is ▁worth while , ▁whether ▁there ▁are ▁better ▁alternatives , ▁if ▁there ▁are ▁un int ended ▁out comes , ▁and ▁whether ▁the ▁program ▁goals ▁are ▁appropriate ▁and ▁useful . ▁E valu ators ▁help ▁to ▁answer ▁these ▁questions , ▁but ▁the ▁best ▁way ▁to ▁answer ▁the ▁questions ▁is ▁for ▁the ▁evaluation ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁joint ▁project ▁between ▁evalu ators ▁and ▁st ake hold ers . ▁ ▁The ▁process ▁of ▁evaluation ▁is ▁considered ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁relatively ▁recent ▁phenomen on . ▁However , ▁planned ▁social ▁evaluation ▁has ▁been ▁documented ▁as ▁d ating ▁as ▁far ▁back ▁as ▁ 2 2 0 0 ▁BC . ▁ ▁E valu ation ▁became ▁particularly ▁relevant ▁in ▁the ▁U . S . ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s ▁during ▁the ▁period ▁of ▁the ▁Great ▁Society ▁social ▁programs ▁associated ▁with ▁the ▁Kennedy ▁and ▁Johnson ▁administr ations . ▁Ext ra ordinary ▁sums ▁were ▁inv ested ▁in ▁social ▁programs , ▁but ▁the ▁impact s ▁of ▁these ▁invest ments ▁were ▁largely ▁unknown . ▁ ▁Program ▁evalu ations ▁can ▁involve