A Model of Service Program Output Incorporating Behavioral Change

Service programs in the public sector often produce two outputs-the goods and services which are normally identified as outputs plus the change in behavior that is required before the individual becomes an effective participant in the program. An aggregate model of service program output that incorporates these two outputs is developed. The joint product model of economics is used to overcome the theoretical problem of how to combine these two outputs into one. The second theoretical problem of how to measure behavioral change is solved using the model of social dynamics hypothesized by D. W. Griesinger. In this model a sanction pattern is derived from observed behavior of various socioeconomic groups. This pattern is an abstraction which describes the reward and punishment system surrounding the given behavior. From this pat tern is defined a parameter that is a relative measure of the forces acting on an individual. Using this parameter the program efforts expended to overcome these forces and thus change behavior can then be estimated. The decisionmaking implicatious of the complete model are developed using a serial multistage decision model. Evaluation of the model using data from a family-planning program is summarized.