ABSTRACT
As Gouldner reminds us, there is nothing new or peripheral about the application of social science to practical issues in society. The lack of novelty should surprise no one. There is a familiar tradition of denigration for those sociologists who stoop to efforts to make their knowledge useful. There is, however, less recognition of the relevance of such applied work to theoretical development. There is a body of sociological theory dealing with the nature of organizations and their structure and that body of theory illuminates a number of methodological problems in evaluation research. Macro-theories of social change in sociology and anthropology are among these otherwise meritorious theories which are largely irrelevant to intervention programs. Situational theory is proposed as an example of a type of theory which is appropriate for guiding the design and the evaluation of social programs which intend to alter the actions or attitudes of sets of individuals within the society.
