time constraints (Chapter 4), their discussion of the differences was not satisfying to this reviewer to justify two separate chapters. The repetition of information throughout Chapters 2–8 seems unnecessary. Part III briefly but comprehensively introduces impor- tant methodological concepts that might not be covered in more basic science-focused design and analysis texts. The authors handily summarize qualitative methods (Chapter 12) and program theory (Chapter 9) and discuss the relevance of a mixed-method design (Chapter 13). The authors also succinctly introduce several common de- sign strategies, but there is no citation supporting the assertion that these strategies are indeed the most widely used. In sum, this reviewer believes that this book is an introductory text appropriate for the inexperienced reader. The authors introduce a number of important, practical, and organizationally complex issues that evaluators regularly face. This reviewer believes that the RWE approach (Chapters 2–8) are better explicated within the context of the methods-driven Part III text, rather than the stand-alone chapters (in Part II), as readers with a basic research design and statistical background would most likely be aware of the RWE constraints. The book is a relatively easy but lengthy read and offers helpful generic checklists for evaluators. Disclaimer The views expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or official policy of the Deployment Health Clinical Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Department of Army, Depart- ment of Defense, or US Government. Michael C. Freed Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Deployment Health Clinical Center, Washington, DC, USA E-mail address: mc_freed@onebox.com doi:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2007.05.002 Program Evaluation: Forms and Approaches, John M. Owen. 3rd ed. The Guilford Press, New York (2006). 298pp., ($ 38.00, paperback), ISBN: 1-59385-406-4 ‘‘Unashamedly utilization focused’’ (p. 289), Owen shows how evaluators can meet the information needs of evaluation clients and stakeholders by selecting appro- priate forms and approaches. Yet, Program Evaluation: Forms and Approaches is not only a resource for evaluation practitioners and students, but also for clients and program planners who are interested in learning more about evaluation theory and practice, prioritizing evaluation needs, and key considerations to be contemplated prior to commissioning evaluations and selecting evaluators. The book consists of 13 stand-alone chapters with boxed examples and references to additional readings. Each chapter includes a breadth of evaluation theory on key issues in program evaluation. Taking the reader from evaluation theory to practice, the content of the book expands on the notion of ‘‘what evaluation is’’ to ‘‘what evaluators do’’ (p. xiii). The first three chapters lay the foundation for the remainder of the book. Evaluation Fundamentals (Chapter 1) presents Owen’s view of the purpose of evaluation, which is to improve social or corporate policies and programs through rigorous, empirical knowledge production. As such, ‘‘Evaluation will be worth the investment of time and money if the knowledge produced is reliable, responsive to the needs of policy and program stakeholders, and can be applied by these stakeholders’’ (p. 1). To conduct or consume evaluation requires an under- standing of the four-part logic of evaluation, which may be explicit or implicit and is widely applicable across diverse evaluation branches (e.g., program, policy, personnel evaluation) and disciplines (e.g., education, organizational development, social services). However, applying the logic of evaluation is not all that evaluators do. To include the range of activities in which evaluators engage, evaluative or not, Owen provides both a narrow and a broad definition of evaluation. The first relates to the determination of program worth, while the second describes evaluation as ‘‘the production of knowledge based on systematic inquiry to assist decision-making about a program’’ (p. 18). At the heart of this broad definition is a client-centeredness that is intended to cover interdependencies between evaluators and stakeholders to promote use and decision making based on evaluations. Chapter 2 introduces the reader to The Nature of Interventions: What We Evaluate, namely policies, pro- grams, products, and individuals. Owen provides a detailed description of each type of evaluand and respective considerations. The core of the discussion pertains to programs. Owen presents a typology of programs and interventions to be considered at the mega, macro, and micro levels and maintains that explicit knowledge about program type and level is critical in selecting the right evaluation approach. In the third chapter, Focusing Evaluative Inquiry: Evaluation Forms and Approaches, Owen introduces his map of evaluation intended to address the impracticality of many taxonomies and evaluation models presented in ARTICLE IN PRESS Book reviews / Evaluation and Program Planning 30 (2007) 318–323 321