Going counter to the facts in program evaluation. Towards a counterfactual evaluation model (CEM)

Résumé

The present article aims at bringing closer to the public the logic behind Counterfactual Impact Evaluation (CIE). It starts with a semantic disclosure, continuing with asserting the the main counterfactual theories and their application in the Program Evaluation field and ends with the construction of a Counterfactual Evaluation Model. The article intends to present, in an introductory manner, some of the possible and probable uses of the CEM. The main question is: does it make any sense to go counter to the facts in Program Evaluation?