Evaluation of Research in Home Economics: Background and New Approaches

This paper describes ways in which home economics research has been evaluated and suggests new theoretical approaches which may be applied in quantitative empirical analyses of benefits from home economics research. It includes dis cussion of evaluations of returns to agricultural research because these have set precedents and offer insights for assessments in other fields. Home economics research has been extensively analyzed, often with an orientation to goals, needs, and strategies for future research. Several studies have focused on past research in regard to personnel, funding, administration, publication productivity, and implications of patterns in published research reports. Literature on benefits from research is largely descriptive and nonquantitative. Quantitative assessments of benefits in relation to research investments have been recommended. The eco nomic theory of the household, including both neoclassic theory and the “new household economics,” provides a general framework for analysis. Three types of information output from home economics research have been identified: household efficiency information, product quality information, and health and safety information. New approaches for evaluating the research which supplies such information are suggested.