Module 03

Sessions 09 & 10
- Achintya Arora
IIM Rohtak
All Copyrights Reserved
Policy Evaluation
Introduction
• Policy evaluation refers broadly to all activities carried out by a range
of actors to determine how a policy has fared in practice and to
estimate how it is likely to perform in the future.
• Evaluation produces certain results and recommendations that can
lead to refinement of policy design and implementation or complete
reform or termination.
• Thus, evaluation helps in improving policy design and making
operations more efficient.
Introduction
• Evaluation contributes to the policy-making process by:
• Providing information about the problem and the policy
• Demystifying conventional wisdom related to the problem and its
solutions
• Developing new information about policy effectiveness
• Explaining the implications of new information derived through
evaluation
• Policy evaluation is as much a political as a technical activity.
Different actors involved in policy evaluation
• Consultants
• Legislature
• Executive
• Civil society
• International/national NGOs
• Research groups
Policy evaluation process – different steps
• Defining the scope of evaluation
• Determining evaluation criteria
• Collecting information
• Conducting evaluation
Types of evaluation
• Policy evaluation can concentrate on one or more of the following
types of information – Inputs, Processes, Outputs, Outcomes, or
Impact
• Simple evaluations
• Input evaluation
• Process evaluation
• Output evaluation
Types of evaluation
• Outcome and impact evaluations
• Randomized Controlled Trials – Administering an intervention to a
randomly selected group (experimental group) from amongst a
larger group of potential beneficiaries to judge the effect of the
intervention. Another group (comparison or control group)
receives the conventional treatment.
• Before/after comparison
• Various other quantitative, qualitative, or ‘mixed’ methods
Challenges in policy evaluation
• Lack of organizational support
• Shortage of evaluation skills
• Narrow perception of the scope of evaluation
• Insufficient capacity for data collection
• Politically charged environment
• Subjectivity in interpreting results and portrayal of findings
• Self-interest of policymakers
Strategies for “better” policy evaluation
• Clarifying evaluation criteria and performance measures
• Establishing independent evaluation departments
• Strengthening nongovernmental participation