Abstract
The author argues that evaluators must forge a strong bridge between basic social science and evaluation. Realizing this potential will involve holding evaluation to a high standard, through advancing cutting-edge empirical methods, balancing demands for accountability, and providing direction for basic social science. Approaches such as theory-based evaluation and natural-variation research designs can demonstrate the importance of evaluation, and help evaluators to ensure that traffic of ideas between basic social science and evaluation runs efficiently in both directions. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association