The only near miss is one by a British philosopher, which you can t get here. But getting needs assessment right is crucial to evaluation, since many evaluations depend almost entirely on the needs assessment for the values they are going to use. One reason that people misunderstand this concept is that it is context-dependent, and they do not understand that notion. Now let s take an example which is more context-dependent.
Wants are quite different.
A car was a mere 'want' in the days when almost everyone was using a horse and cart. The context dependence extends to place as well as time. In Tokyo they are not a need at all because the public transportation system is a far better option for getting around. Wants can also become needs when a person becomes addicted to drugs withdrawing the next heroin fix certainly causes severe dysfunction. So, in the context of that particular lifestyle, the fix is a need.