EIA Follow-up and ex post evaluation Flashcards
What are the conclusions from the EIA follow up lecture?
- There is no single recipe for EIA followup
- Sucess depends on the consideration of contextual factors and stakeholders
Sucess - achieving some of the objectives defined at the start
- often not done in practice bc of the Pandora box effect
What are the main objectives of EIA-follow-up?
- Better project management (controlling)
- Feedback on EIA processes (learning)
- Communication about environmental performance (informing and involvement)
Why do we evaluate in planning in the first place? Bc of what?
Bc of uncertainty in planning and policy. Plans, projects, instruments influence an object, but external influences also influence this object. This makes it highly dynamic.
- To see if the outcome matches what we wanted. Do we know what happens out there.
What are limitations of policy evaluation in practice?
There is no comprehensive knowledge about options, impacts and criteria often. Also more in a qualitative sense: lots of uncertainties and gaps in knowledge.
EIA follow up is a good example of ex ante evaluation. Correct or false?
False, it is an example of ex-post, as you evaluate after the policy has been implemented.
Explain the theory of change.
It’s about many assumptions about causal relationships. For example: ‘what is the theory as to why this land use plan will help to improve the spatial quality in this area?’. How will the lelylijn influence economic growth in both the north or even more in the Randstad.
Explain why ex ante evaluation is a ‘snapshot in time’
Policy and planning are continuous in nature, it’s dynamic and influence other parties. We also have external developments, new insights, policies and regulations. Ex ante evaluation before is thus always static, as it does not suspect the future developments and dynamics.
What topics does ex post evaluation entail?
- Effectiveness
- Efficiency
- Goal achievement
- Legitimate policy: how do people experience it?
- Policy process: transparency, efficiency, democratic legitimacy, good governance
- Policy organisation: flexibility, governance, enforcement
- Policy effects, consequences.
What is the experimental evaluation design about?
It establishes causal elation between effect and policy: classical scientific methodological approach
What is the quasi experimental evaluation design about?
It has to do with a control group (with/without policy). No randomization but matching regarding specific characteristics. There is no causal relationship intervention and consequence established. Goal achievement however, can be established.
Non-experimental evaluation design. Explain this and why practice adopts it the most.
No control group, at most before/after measurements
- It is often used in practice (because of ethical objections of control groups in policy)
- Methodological weak (no insight in causality)
Why is post evaluation often lacking?
Because of the pandora’s boxing glove effect: we thought it was a good project/policy? If we really measure: we could learn it was not done well. Cognitive dissonance. Then this could lead to having to make new plans for the future again (new plan syndrome). This creates a sort of ‘fear of planning again’.
- planning is complex
- Difficult to assess successful implementation
- What is successful?
- Limitation in monitoring data
- Resources needed
What are problems with follow up?
- Public participation all too focused on planning process until consent decision. Reaching out to community has gone less well. No participation for the follow up part.
- Public in follow up not well developed. Often a technical, legal exercise.
- There is no actual need for it in a legal sense.
- There is no capacity for it
Why do we need EIA follow up?
- it can make the EIA process more flexible and adaptive to dynamic practice
- learn from experience to improve practice
- Get a grip on uncertainties intrinsic to planning
- Bridge the implementation gap
- Shift of issues in the development of follow-up
Why does EIA follow up have an umbrella function?
Bc it’s about collecting data, linking up with other evaluations and exisiting activities (permit requirements, environmental management systems, policy impact studies).
