Evaluation of Public Policies: Learning from Comparative Multilevel Experiences

Transcription

1 Seminar Evaluation of Public Policies: Learning from Comparative Multilevel Experiences Barcelona (ES), 3-4 April 2014 European Institute of Public Administration Institut européen d administration publique Introduction Target group High level civil servants responsible for the supervision of various levels of public administrations who need to improve their knowledge about public policy evaluation and its governance and use in multi-layered settings, as well as those responsible for designing evaluation systems, monitoring evaluations carried out by external or internal evaluators (at national, regional or local level). Description A variety of evaluation methods and research techniques will be presented and explained with the aim of demonstrating the advantages and disadvantages of each and discussing the conditions that lend themselves to certain above others. Sessions will focus on such topics as the importance of evaluation, evaluation design, delineating evaluation scope and preparing the terms of reference, negotiating with evaluators, controlling the quality of evaluations and disseminating results to ensure their use. Experiences of institutionalising evaluation systems in different European countries will also be presented and discussed. There will also be an exchange of experiences on good practice relating to the comparability of evaluations at national and regional level. Learning methodology Presentations of real experiences and debates with a practical perspective. The sessions will be complemented with reference material that will offer a useful source of information to those wishing to further enhance their knowledge. The seminar-style sessions will be divided according to the following scheme: The first sessions will focus on explaining the rationale for evaluation, its critical importance in the policy and programming cycle, and evaluation design. The next sessions will make use of the different experiences of European public administrations which can be harnessed to develop institutional capacity for evaluation. The final sessions will consist of evaluation in practice, the role of evaluators and various methodologies and research tools which are regularly used in evaluation. Participants will also have the opportunity on this second day to present their own problems, experiences and questions and will be offered ideas to address them. The last session will give participants an opportunity to present their own cases and discuss among the experts and peers present. Objectives The seminar aims to broaden participants knowledge of evaluation in a European public policy and project setting and thereby improve their skills in designing, commissioning and managing evaluation activities. The main aim is not to train participants as evaluators, but to enhance their understanding of the main tools and approaches so that they can interact competently with (external or internal) evaluators, assess the quality of their work and provide the constructive criticism that is crucial for the success of all evaluation studies.

2 Programme Thursday, 3 April 2014 INTRODUCTORY MODULE Registration of participants Opening and introduction to the seminar: presentation of the methodology to be followed. Tour de table presentation of participants Gracia Vara Arribas, Expert, Project Leader, European Institute of Public Administration - EIPA Barcelona Main concepts of evaluation What is evaluation about and why do we do it? Where does it stand in the public policy cycle? How does it work in federal and decentralised countries in Europe? Gracia Vara Arribas Designing an evaluation: defining the purpose, terms of reference, evaluation criteria and questions Perspective of the civil servant who is designing/ commissioning an evaluation, and who has to draft terms of reference, decide on the main purpose (summative or formative), decide on the evaluation criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, etc.) formulate evaluation questions and care about the interaction between administrative body and the contractors and subcontractors. Joanna Hofman, Senior Analyst, RAND Europe (UK) Coffee break Conducting an evaluation (1): Types of evaluation and evaluation design From the perspective of the evaluator who has to propose an appropriate evaluation design to answer the evaluation questions: key characteristics of impact, process and economic evaluations, implications for the research design and methods used to structure evaluation. Bradford Rohmer, Senior consultant at The Evaluation Partnership (UK) Joint lunch Conducting an evaluation (2): Qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods and tools Overview of the various experimental and nonexperimental research tools and techniques evaluators employ to collect and analyse data with a focus on the practical implications for those who commission and conduct evaluation studies. Joanna Hofman Group work on evaluation methods and tools Following the introduction to evaluation methods and tools, we will concentrate on practical implications for developing and approving them by those who commission and conduct evaluation studies. Participants will be divided in small groups to work on different methods and tools proposed by contractors. Facilitators: Joanna Hofman & Bradford Rohmer Debate End of first day Welcome dinner Friday, 4 April Building evaluation capacity at national and regional level (the cases of Poland and Spain) If evaluation is to become a valued function within the public sector it must itself mirror the architecture of governance within the country concerned. Evaluation systems need to be designed from the beginning with a vision of how they will be adapted more generally. Gracia Vara and Joanna Hofman Dissemination and use of evaluation results Evaluation demands significant resources that are wasted unless it is integrated into the policy and programming cycle. This depends partly on presentation but extends to all aspects of evaluation design and process, including governance, timing and formal plans for follow-up Bradford Rohmer Coffee break PRESENTATION OF CASES: achieving useful evaluations. Cases of evaluation and experiences by the participants Case study Xavier Ballart, Professor of Political and Administrative Sciences, University of Barcelona (ES) * Results management in social services: a case of evaluation with indicators case of social policy The ladder and the scale This is a properly working case which demonstrates the results management and application limitations as carried out by some civil servants Joint lunch Case study The evaluation of programmes co-financed by the EU Bradford Rohmer Exchange Expert Participants: Methodology Participants will be requested to present a case of programme evaluation in max. 100 words. Those submitting should prepare a document to be sent to the Project Leader at least three days before the seminar. Time will be awarded (in plenary or bilateral) for discussing the cases Feedback session and conclusions End of the seminar * Written cases presented by Mr Xavier Ballart and Mr Bradford Rohmer, will be sent in advance to the participants. Reading of these prior to the seminar is necessary for a better understanding.

3 Experts (in order of appearance in the programme) Gracia Vara Arribas (ES) Lawyer LLM, Senior Lecturer and Expert in Multilevel Governance and EU Law (EIPA Barcelona). For the last ten years Gracia has been devoted to developing the capacity of regional and local actors in building a shared method of governance between the various levels, and the use of new instruments of Multilevel Governance. This service is provided through research, training and consultancy work for various levels of administration, as well as, European institutions. Under her direction, several impact assessment and evaluation studies have been carried out, commissioned by the EU Presidencies (UK 2006 and SE 2009) and for different Member States. In 2010, she was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Interior to evaluate the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the Dutch Provinces and Municipalities. At this moment she is mainly working as a consultant for the Committee of the Regions. Joanna Barbara Hofman (PL) Master of European Economic and Public Affairs, University College Dublin; Master of International Relations, Warsaw University. Joanna is Senior Analyst in RAND Europe (UK) where she is leading and conducting research in the area of employment and social inclusion. She has ten years of experience in working on evaluation and impact assessment studies: initially as a commissioner of evaluations in public administration, and then as a practitioner conducting evaluations at the European and national levels. As the Head of Evaluation and Monitoring Unit in the Ministry of Regional Development in Poland, Joanna was responsible for planning evaluation studies of programmes funded by the European Social Fund, drafting terms of reference, selecting and liaising with contractors. In this role Joanna was also actively engaged in developing evaluation capacity at regional level. As an evaluator, Joanna has managed and/or contributed to a range of large-scale and complex evaluation and impact assessment projects related to health, employment and social issues, youth and mobility. Joanna specialises in qualitative research methods of data collection and analysis. Bradford Rohmer (UK) Senior consultant at The Evaluation Partnership (TEP) since 2008 where he has led and contributed to many public policy evaluation projects and research studies, mostly for the European Commission, but also for the British Department for International Development. He has worked across a variety of subject areas, from health, sport and customs to gender equality and security sector reform. In practical terms, much of this work concerns finding ways to structure and present large, often disorganised masses of information effectively through a rigorous approach to research design, execution and analysis. More formally, this encompasses the use of a range of evaluation theories, qualitative and quantitative social science research methods and a number of data collection tools including focus groups, depth and semi-structured interviews, case studies and survey design and analysis. Before joining The Evaluation Partnership, Bradford worked in various capacities on European policy in the non-profit and public sector and studied political science and economics. In addition to English, Bradford speaks French and Swedish. Xavier Ballart (ES) Professor of Political and Administrative Sciences. Undergraduate degree from the University of Barcelona, 1985; Escola Administració Pública de Catalunya Award; Master of Public Affairs, Indiana University Bloomington, School of Public and Environmental Affairs Award; Doctor in Political and Administrative Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Other lines of research include: a) Public Administration in Spain; and b) Reforms in Public Management. He is also engaged in new lines of research on Public Values and Motivation of Public Employees. At present, his active research projects are focused on power perceptions of Spanish central administration public managers, financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation. Additionally, Xavier is working on the implementation of the Catalan Sustainability Strategy and two performance indicators projects - in R+D+I for the Catalan Government and in institutional evaluation for the Diputación of Barcelona. He has been teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in public administration, policy evaluation, policy analysis, public management and comparative politics. As a consultant, he has worked for the governments of Peru and Ecuador, the World Bank, the European Commission, the Catalan Government, the City of Barcelona, the Diputacion of Barcelona and several county administrations in Catalonia. Seminar Team Gracia Vara Arribas (ES) Expert and Project Leader EIPA Barcelona (ES) Tel.: [email protected] Natalia Doménech (ES) Programme Organiser, EIPA Barcelona (ES) Tel.: Fax: [email protected]

4 General Information Seminar venue To be confirmed Centre of Barcelona Working language The seminar will be conducted in English, however simultaneous interpretation into Spanish will be provided if there is a minimum of participants requesting this service Fee The participation fee is 925 and includes documentation, two lunches, one dinner, two coffee breaks and a certificate of attendance. Accommodation and travel costs are at the expenses of the participants or their administration. Deadline for registration: 24 March 2014 Payment before the seminar is a condition for participation. For cancellations received after deadline we will have to charge an administration fee of 150 unless an alternative participant is nominated. EIPA offers its members a reduction of 10% off the registration fee. This reduction is available to all civil servants working for one of EIPA s member countries (i.e. AT, BE, BG, CY, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, MT, NL, PL, PT, ES, SE, UK) as well as civil servants working for an EU institution or agency. If you are eligible for a discount, please tick the box in the registration form. Please note that reductions cannot be accumulated. For more information, please visit EIPA s website: Information and registration Natalia Doménech, Programme Organiser European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) EIPA Barcelona C/ Girona, 20 / Barcelona Tel.: Fax: [email protected] You can also submit the online registration form which can be found on EIPA s website: Hotel reservations in Barcelona EIPA Barcelona will be pleased to make reservations for you at these hotels (where special rates are applied for EIPA participants): HOTEL Catalonia Berna**** C/ Roger de Llúria, 60 Tel.: Double room for single use (breakfast included) + 10% VAT 125 Double room (breakfasts included) + 10% VAT City tax: 1,21 per person per day HOTEL Europark*** Aragó, 325 Tel.: Double room for single use (breakfast included) + 10% VAT 135 Double room (breakfasts included) + 10% VAT City tax: 0,71 per person per day Should you wish to make use of this possibility, please indicate the dates of arrival and departure on the registration form. Payment is to be made directly and personally to the hotel on checking out. Please note that if you register after the closing date, hotel reservations cannot be guaranteed. Confirmation Please note that your registration is not finalised until you receive a confirmation from us. Moreover, your participation is not confirmed until you receive another from the Programme Organiser confirming your registration and some details. Cancellation policy EIPA reserves the right to cancel the seminar up to two weeks before the starting date. EIPA accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred (travel, hotel, etc.). For EIPA s cancellation policy, please visit our website (FAQ - cancellation policy)

5 Registration Form Evaluation of Public Policies: Learning from Comparative Multilevel Experiences Barcelona (ES), 3-4 April 2014 Surname:... Title:... M / F First name:... Organisation:... Department:... Current position:... Work address:... Postal code & Town:... Country:... Telephone number:... Fax number:... address:... Invoice information Organisation:... Fiscal number/nif:... Department:... Address:... Postal code & Town:... Country:... VAT number:... Your reference number:... address:... Registration fee The fee includes participation in the seminar, documentation, two coffee breaks, two lunches, one dinner and a certificate of attendance Discount of 10% (Please check first the conditions at (FAQ - special discounts)) 925 Method of payment Bank transfer It is necessary to state the name of the participant and the reference EIPA s Barcelona account number IBAN: ES , BIC: BBVAESMM at the BBVA, Plaça Catalunya 5, Barcelona (ES) Credit card American Express card Eurocard/Mastercard Visa card Card number:... Expiry date:... /... Card Validation Code:... Hotel reservation Please make a reservation for me at Hotel Catalonia Berna**** Hotel Europark*** Double room for single use Date of arrival:... Date of departure:... Double room Number of nights:... No hotel reservation required Meals Vegetarian Fish allowed Other dietary requirement:... To ensure the optimal organisation of the seminar, please return the completed registration form by fax or before 24 March 2014 to: Natalia Doménech, Programme Organiser, tel.: , fax: , [email protected], The registration will be confirmed by . Your name and address will be part of EIPA s database for our mailing purpose only. Please tick if you do not want to be included in our mailing database.