Assessing and Evaluating Department of Defense Efforts to Inform, Influence, and Persuade

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has struggled to assess the progress and effectiveness of its efforts to inform, influence, and persuade audiences in support of key national security objectives. One reason is that it lacks personnel with sufficient expertise in assessment and evaluation. Although the department is making an effort to infuse sound assessment principles in doctrine and to expand assessment-related course offerings in the military-academic sector, these efforts will take time to bear fruit. These temporary shortfalls extend to the evaluation and assessment of DoD efforts to inform, influence, and persuade. To help fill the gap, RAND produced a reading list for self-study in best assessment practices across a range of sectors. The reading list has two purposes: to provide resources for new assessment personnel to cement and broaden their assessment and evaluation expertise and to serve as a general list of assessment resources that can be made available to assessment stakeholders to improve their assessment expertise. It supplements two companion volumes, Assessing and Evaluating Department of Defense Efforts to Inform, Influence, and Persuade: Desk Reference and Assessing and Evaluating Department of Defense Efforts to Inform, Influence, and Persuade: Handbook for Practitioners.