Overview
Arguably one of the United States' hallmark public sector research programs, the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) aims to assist US business in creating and applying new technologies in order to maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly changing world economy. Delivering a unique, systematic analysis of a public agency’s pioneering intramural research program, this book presents the first detailed case study of ATP, and provides a methodological illustration of how other public organizations should conduct such an evaluation.
With an increasing number of public sector agencies and institutions undertaking program assessments in light of growing public accountability, this book will be of great interest to academics and researchers in economics, as well as policy makers involved in program evaluation.
Synopsis
Lin (economics, U. of North Carolina at Greensboro) and Scott (economics, Dartmouth College) present a case study analysis of the United States government's Advanced Technology Program, a public sector research program that has the objective of assisting US businesses in creating and applying new technologies. The evaluation framework they employ builds on the ATP's own, which assesses inputs such as funding and research partnership formation; outputs including knowledge and inventions; outcomes like the acceleration of research and commercial applications of research results; and impacts including societal benefits. They focus the evaluation on ATP's research programs on wavelength references for optical fiber communications, injectable composite bone grafts, Internet commerce for manufacturing, and polymer composite dielectrics for integrated thin-film capacitors. They conclude the volume with observations about alternative templates for public-sector program evaluation. Annotation © 2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR