Demystifying Evaluation: Practical Approaches for Researchers and Users

by David Parsons

Overview

Social research practitioners and others working in the public and voluntary sectors, in academia and consultancy are increasingly under pressure to provide policy-related evidence with limited resources and rising expectations. Demystifying evaluation is an accessible introductory guide setting the foundations for tackling those challenges, explaining the options open to evaluators, their merits and uses, and how to make appropriate choices of research methods.

Drawing on his experience of policy and programme evaluations for the public sector and outside, David Parsons provides a practical roadmap cutting across different evaluation theories. He covers issues such as managing expectations of evaluation, using and mixing quantitative and qualitative methods, engaging stakeholders and providing action-orientated approaches to help end-users.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781447333906
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2017
Series:	Social Research Association Shorts
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Prof David Parsons is a programme evaluator with over 30 years’ experience of independent public policy analysis in the UK, Europe and internationally. He is also a Visiting Professor at Leeds Beckett University, and Principal Consultant at P&A Research and Consulting. He has previously held faculty posts at the Universityies of Sussex and Cranfield, was an advisor to the National Economic Development Office (UK), Economic and Social Research Council (UK) and European Commission and a specialist associate to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. He also leads the Social Research Association’s programme in Advanced and Impact Evaluation, and has acted as advisor and trainer on evaluation methods to numerous publicly-funded bodies in the UK.

Table of Contents

List of figures iv

List of examples v

Acknowledgements vii

Preface ix

Glossary of selected evaluation terms xi

1 Introduction 1

2 Compilation: setting the right foundations 15

3 Composition: designing for needs 43

4 Conducting process evaluation 63

5 Conducting economic evaluation 83

6 Conducting impact evaluation 103

7 Analysis, reporting and communications 133

8 Emerging challenges for evaluation and evaluators 157

References 173

Annex A The ROTUR Framework for managing evaluation expectations 181

Annex B Ready reckoner guide to experimentation choices in impact evaluation 187

Index 189

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This book gets to the heart of the practical and methodological issues evaluators face. An excellent resource for social researchers and commissioners alike." Lindsey Bowes, Research Director, CFE Research

"Evaluating the effects of spending public money is crucial, but in many policy areas it is easier said than done. David Parsons draws on his considerable experience in this very accessible introductory guide which will be of interest to both evaluators and policy leads." Barbara Leach, Head of Evaluation, WRAP

“A concise and highly engaging text that provides a valuable overview of the growing and important area of evaluation. Those new to evaluation; researchers, commissioners and policymakers alike, will find this book an accessible and important resource” Stephen Morris, Manchester Metropolitan University

Editorial Reviews

"Adds to an astonishingly slim collection of works that seek to make evaluation widely accessible. Prof Parsons' contribution has enormous potential to assist in the relationships building needed between evaluators and the policy community to enhance evaluation and its use." J Bradley Cousins, University of Ottawa

From the Publisher

"Evaluating the effects of spending public money is crucial, but in many policy areas it is easier said than done. Parsons draws on his considerable experience in this very accessible introductory guide which will be of interest to both evaluators and policy leads alike."

Barbara Leach

"This book gets to the heart of the practical and methodological issues evaluators face. An excellent resource for social researchers and commissioners alike."

Lindsey Bowes