3LL3 Development and Public Policy

1
3LL3 Development and Public Policy

• Policy Evaluation

2
Policy Evaluation Aim

• Find out about a public policy in action
• Examine the means employed
• Assess the achievement of objectives

3
Policy Evaluation Meaning

• learning about the consequences of public policy
• the assessment of the overall effectiveness of
  programs in meeting common objectives
• the objective, systematic and empirical
  examination of the effects ongoing policies and
  public programs have on their targets in terms of
  the goals they are meant to achieve

4
Policy Evaluation Purpose

• Impact of a policy on real world conditions,
  including
• on target situation or group
• on situations or groups other than the target
  (spillover effects)

5
Policy Evaluation Purpose

• impact on future as well as immediate conditions
• direct costs in terms of resources devoted to the
  program
• indirect costs including loss of opportunities to
  do other things

6
Policy Evaluation Questions

• What are its financial costs?
• Who receives benefits (payments or services) and
  in what amounts?
• Is there unnecessary overlap with or duplication
  of other programs?
• Are legislatively prescribed standards and
  procedures being followed?
• Is the program honestly administered?

7
Policy Evaluation Rationalist View

• The objective systematic, empirical examination
  of the effects that ongoing policies and public
  programs have on their targets in terms of the
  goals they are meant to achieve (David
  Nachmias)

8
Policy Evaluation Objectives

• measure outcomes
• identify additional support mechanisms which
  would improve delivery
• guide decisions for reformulation of programs
  and/or procedures

9
Program Evaluation by Government

• Hearings and Reports most common make
  presentations to legislature submit written
  annual reports
• Site Visits administrators, consultants,
  legislators visit agencies or conduct inspections
• Program Measures data from agencies cover policy
  output measures, e.g., number of recipients in
  welfare programs

10
Program Evaluation by Government

• Comparison with Professional Standards
  professional associations develop standards of
  excellence, e.g., desirable level of output
• Evaluation of Citizens Complaints not all
  citizens voluntarily submit complaints about
  government programs agencies use questionnaires
  to assess the level of satisfaction

11
Policy Evaluation Administrative

• Examine efficient delivery of services and value
  for money
• Concerned with performance measurement, personnel
  reviews, audits
• Requires precise information and standardization

12
Forms of Administrative Evaluation

• Effort Evaluation measures quantity of program
  input, such as, personnel, office space,
  communication, transportation
• Performance Evaluation examines program outputs
  such as, hospital beds, places in school, number
  of patients seen, or children taught

13
Policy Evaluation Various Aspects

• Effectiveness Evaluation performance of a
  program is compared to its intended goals to
  determine whether the program is meeting the
  goals or whether they need to be adjusted
• Useful method but difficult to carry out

14
Policy Evaluation Various Aspects

• Efficiency Evaluation assess costs of a program
  to determine if the same amount and quality of
  outputs could be achieved more efficiently
• Process Evaluation examine organizational
  methods, such as rules and procedures and see if
  processes could be streamlined and made more
  efficient

15
Policy Evaluation Judicial

• Examines legal aspects of the formulation,
  implementation and outcome of policies
• Concerned with possible conflicts between
  government actions and constitutional provisions

16
Policy Evaluation Political

• Undertaken by parties or groups driven by
  political motives
• Aims to support or challenge a policy, rather
  than improve it
• Uses evaluation to achieve political gain

17
Policy Evaluation Challenges (Anderson)

• Uncertainty over policy goals makes it difficult
  to determine attainment
• Difficulty in determining causality societal
  changes must be demonstrably caused by policy
  actions

18
Policy Evaluation Challenges (Anderson)

• Diffuse policy impacts policies may affect
  groups other than those at whom they are directed
• Difficulties in collecting data policy
  evaluators need accurate and relevant data and
  information

19
Policy Evaluation Challenges (Anderson)

• Resistance from officials possible political
  consequences of evaluation
• Limited time horizon programs take a long time
  to have impacts
• Evaluation lacks influence reports of evaluation
  often ignored or criticized as inconclusive or
  unsound

20
Policy Evaluation Conclusions (Simon)

• Evaluation is a technical activity to assess if a
  policy is meeting its goals
• Evaluation considers impacts of policies as well
  as processes through which goals are achieved
• Evaluation may be conducted internally or by
  external agents