Introduction

Question 1

What stage in the policy cycle is this?

Answer 1

The last stage, but doesn’t have to be

Question 2

Policy evaluation can take two forms, what are they ?

Answer 2

Retrospective ex- post after policy implementation of what works and what doesn’t
prospective ex-ante can evaluate a policy before it comes to fruition, part of your decision making.

Question 3

What is the causal mechanism, the ‘how’ ?

Answer 3

Is all about learning.

Question 4

What are we learning through evaluation?

Answer 4

How do we learn for what goes well and what doesn’t How do we identify what is good and what is bad.

Question 5

Why is it more nuanced and complex than just identifying what is right and what is wrong?

Answer 5

it is a massively political process.

Question 6

Do all policymakers agree on what is good and what is bad?

Answer 6

No.

Question 7

Government interest is focused on…

Answer 7

what works?

outcomes of policy

Question 8

What works is not the same for every political party or every successive government in terms of policy why?

Answer 8

Because ‘what works’ is highly political and often based on ideology.

Question 9

What happened in the 1960s-1970s in terms of concern?

Answer 9

growing concern about the effectiveness of public policy and governance

Question 10

did people care about implementation studies PRIOR to the 1960s/70s?

Answer 10

No, thought implementation was last stage in policy cycle. It was assumed that because it had gone around the stages of the policy cycle that it was going to work well.

Question 11

What happened after the 1970s in terms of analysis?

What was not the end

Answer 11

People became more sophisticated in their analysis and realised that policy implementation was not the end.

Question 12

implementation studies; what is the implementation gap ?

Answer 12

The gap between the policy objectives and what actually happens when the policy is implemented.

Question 13

What is rare in policy implementation?

Answer 13

that policies are perfectly implemented

Question 14

When was it realised that implementation was not the final stage?
What kind of period?
What do we need to be concerned about in reference to policy?

Answer 14

enlightened period of the 1960s and 70s
The effectiveness of policy once implemented as it perfect implementation is rare, objectives are often not achieved (implementation gap)

Question 15

What was the evaluative approach like in the 1980s?

Answer 15

It was fragmented, lots of people doing different things, not cohesive.

Question 16

What happened to evaluative approach of 1990s?

Answer 16

It was all about an evidence based approach of what works and what doesn’t. Blair and his government spoke about how they would look at what policies worked rather than deriving from ideology.

Question 17

What type of policies was Blair interested in?

Answer 17

policies that were clearly and demonstrably effective.

Question 18

What centres started springing up in 2010?

Answer 18

“What works” centres, lots of different organisations evaluators working in this field around evidence based policy making.

Question 19

Why is evidence based policy not objective?

What type of process.

Answer 19

because its not evaluated in a vacuum, it will always be interpreted and therefore its a political process.

Question 20

What are you bounded by in evidence based policy?

Answer 20

bounded by your own previous experience and prior knowledge, norms and values.

Question 21

Who are the two main types of evaluators?

Answer 21

Analytical civil servants

External advisors in Policy Appraisal

Question 22

Where do analytical civil servants do?

Think of issues

Answer 22

they sit in government, dealing with day to day problem solving, look for solutions of rising issues, dealing with issues at the hand.

Question 23

What are civil servants commissioned to report on?

Answer 23

special projects

Question 24

Who do analytical civil servants often bring in when working on projects?
Why else would they bring in other people?

Answer 24

External experts.

To provide evidence and collate it for the government.

Question 25

What is the result / final outcome of all analytical civil servants special projects?

Answer 25

Conducting impact assessments that show possible implications of Policies.

Question 26

External advisors in Policy Appraisal are also known as ?

Answer 26

Experts in their field.

Question 27

Governments often do not have the time to pay attention or … to deal with lots of technical issues

Answer 27

expertise.

Question 28

What are the two interrelated but important democratic features that external advisors bring ?

Answer 28

Independence and Transparency

Question 29

Why are external advisors in policy appraisal independent?

Answer 29

because they should be free from political interference in their work, work independently.

Question 30

Why is the independence of external policy advisors debatable?

Answer 30

Because experts are often not politically neutral and often close affiliations with government

Question 31

In principle, should external advisors be more independent or less independent than government evaluating themselves.

Answer 31

in principle more independent.

Question 32

Why are external advisors often promoting transparency and openness?
What should their government advice be open to?

Answer 32

Scientific advice to government should be made publicly available so us, engaged policy scholars and general public can have the information.

Question 33

What should government not do on the scientific advice given by independent advisors before publication?

Answer 33

not prejudge the advice or reject before publication because its their own experience as a leading expert in their field. should not have personal objection to.

Question 34

But what happens if government does not like the advice given? (think of professor Nutt)

Answer 34

will not always listen or like what they hear?

Question 35

What does the government not liking evaluation advice call into question?

Answer 35

the whole root of policy evaluation and the utility of it.

Question 36

What type of enquiries are incredibly problematic?

Answer 36

Public ones.