Since nation-states are complex, they require special methodological rules for sampling. The suggestion is made that societies should be selected on the basis of their score on some independent variable and studied over long time periods so as to maximize information gain and to minimize cost....

In recent years, the use of social network analysis (SNA) has received increased attention in R&D evaluation. While SNA provides insights into communication and knowledge flows, its efficacy in evaluation methodology remains unclear. As Rogers et al (2001) discuss, the applicability of SNA in...

Few studies of community interventions examine independent effects of investments in: (1) capital (i.e., physical, human and social capital), and (2) management systems (e.g., monitoring and evaluation systems (M&E)) on maternal and child health behavior change. This paper does this in the...

Innovation and Institutions is an extensive elaboration on the make up of systems of innovation. It examines why some countries are more innovative than others, why national styles of innovation differ, and goes on to explore why some countries make radical innovations but fail to successfully...

This framework for multi-level evaluation of scientific research is a bridge between social science theory and the provision of effective feedbacks to governments so they can overcome systemic blockages to innovation and successful outcomes of research policy. Starting with the idea of...