Policy Evaluation

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This topic covers the various methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of public policy, including outcome and impact evaluation.

Policy evaluation framework: A framework to evaluate public policies that sets out the scope, objectives, and criteria for evaluation.
Types of policy evaluation: Different types of policy evaluation, such as impact, process, and outcome evaluation, and their use in evaluating public policies.
Policy implementation: The process of putting public policies into practice, including plans, procedures, resources, and actors.
Policy monitoring: A process of assessing and tracking the progress of public policies over time and comparing them to established standards.
Policy analysis: A systematic process to identify, examine, and evaluate public policy options or alternatives.
Policy design: The process of creating, shaping, or modifying policies to meet specific needs or solve particular problems.
Policy decision-making: The process of selecting and implementing public policies based on relevant information, data, and feedback.
Policy impacts: The various effects of public policies on different stakeholders, communities, and societal goals.
Policy stakeholders: The individuals, groups, or organizations that have an interest in or are affected by public policies.
Policy advocacy: The process of promoting or advocating for specific policy solutions or alternatives to address specific social or economic issues.
Data collection and analysis: A process of gathering and analyzing data to inform policy evaluation.
Evidence-based policy making: The process of creating public policies based on rigorous evidence or research.
Policy implementation capacity: The extent to which the required resources, human capital, and organizational capacity are in place to implement a policy.
Cost-benefit analysis: An evaluation method that compares the cost of a policy against its anticipated benefits to determine its overall value.
Stakeholder consultation: A process of engaging stakeholders in policy design, implementation, and evaluation to achieve stakeholder buy-in and mutual understanding.
Program evaluation: A systematic inquiry to determine program effectiveness, efficiency, and quality.
Performance measurement: A process of measuring and reporting the performance of a public policy or program against pre-established standards.
Policy feedback: A mechanism for receiving feedback from stakeholders, citizens, or organizations on the implementation of public policies.
Policy impact assessment: The process of assessing the anticipated and actual effects of public policies on society, the economy, and the environment.
Public policy reform: The process of modifying, adjusting, or revamping public policies to better meet societal needs and goals.
Process Evaluation: Process evaluation focuses on how a policy is implemented and whether it is implemented correctly. It examines the efficiency and effectiveness of the policy implementation to identify any challenges that may pose obstacles to success.
Impact Evaluation: Impact evaluation assesses the direct and indirect consequences of a policy. It measures the policy's success and how it has affected the target population.
Outcome Evaluation: Outcome evaluation seeks to establish whether the policy has achieved the desired results. This evaluation determines if the policy has succeeded in creating the intended outcome.
Cost-Benefit Analysis: Cost-benefit analysis considers the social, economic, and environmental costs and benefits of a policy. It helps policymakers in determining if the policy is fruitful or not.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: Cost-effectiveness analysis accentuates policy's results in comparison to its costs. It determines alternative policies' ability to achieve the same objectives at a lower cost.
Meta-Evaluation: Meta-evaluation combines the results of multiple evaluations of a policy. This approach involves the collection, synthesis, and analysis of all the available data from different policy evaluations.
Longitudinal Evaluation: Longitudinal study evaluates a policy over an extended period, typically several years. It provides insight into long-term impacts and changes with time.
Formative Evaluation: Formative evaluation is conducted to help refine and improve a policy while it is being designed, implemented, or revised. It can help policy decision-makers to detect weaknesses in a policy or potential areas for improvement.
Summative evaluation: Summative evaluation takes place after the policy has completed a cycle or evaluated for the entire term. It aims to assess the policy's overall impact, effectiveness, and consequences.
Process-Policy Evaluation: Process-policy evaluation combines process and outcome evaluations in assessing policy performance. It evaluates how the policy was implemented and whether the intended results have been achieved.
"Policy analysis or public policy analysis is a technique used in the public administration sub-field of political science..."
"People who regularly use policy analysis skills and techniques on the job, particularly those who use it as a major part of their job duties..."
"...to examine and evaluate the available options to implement the goals of laws and elected officials."
"People who regularly use policy analysis skills and techniques on the job... are generally known by the title Policy Analyst."
"The process is also used in the administration of large organizations with complex policies."
"Policy analysis can be divided into two major fields: - Analysis of existing policy, which is analytical and descriptive... - Analysis for new policy, which is prescriptive..."
"It attempts to explain policies and their development."
"It is involved with formulating policies and proposals (for example: to improve social welfare)."
"Policy Analysis is the process of identifying potential policy options that could address your problem and then comparing those options to choose the most effective, efficient, and feasible one."
"Policy analysis is frequently deployed in the public sector..."
"...is equally applicable elsewhere, such as nonprofit organizations and non-governmental organizations."
"Policy analysis has its roots in systems analysis..."
"...an approach used by United States Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in the 1960s."
"A combination of two kinds of policy analyses together with program evaluation is defined as policy studies."
"The areas of interest and the purpose of analysis determine what types of analysis are conducted."
"...a technique used in the public administration sub-field of political science..."
"...nonprofit organizations, and others to examine and evaluate the available options..."
"Analysis for new policy is involved with formulating policies and proposals (for example: to improve social welfare)."
"The process of 'determining which of various policies will achieve a given set of goals in light of the relations between the policies and the goals.'"
"...enable civil servants, nonprofit organizations, and others to examine and evaluate the available options to implement the goals of laws and elected officials."