2024 marks the tenth anniversary of the Hellenic Evaluation Society (HES). This gives the impetus for publishing a book on global trends in policy evaluation. This book explores the interdisciplinary perspectives for an inclusive, forward-looking public policy evaluation through the contributions of scholars and researchers worldwide.
As global development enters an era of important change, trends, concepts, framework conditions, and ideas will change, and so will evaluation. These days, when we reflect upon transformation and think about the concept of evaluation, we fully realize its value as a powerful tool for change. This book joins ongoing efforts to rethink and reform evaluation to meet the challenges of the 21st century and play a meaningful role in addressing transformation. It is about a mindset change: where policymakers seek solutions, the evaluation seeks to figure out what questions are the right ones to go beyond off-the-shelf data models and global perceptions.
The value of evaluation, beyond any other perception, lies in its ability to ask the right questions to the right people in the right way to provide evidence for decision-making. As such, it has the ability to support leadership engagement effectively. This book will explore the most critical aspects of public policy evaluation and provide useful incentives to improve the systematic embedding of evaluation practices across governments. Its purpose is to give inspiration and guidance to systematically conduct evaluations across policy domains and government divisions and promote the use of evaluation results in policymaking.
This book is intended for policymakers, evaluation scholars, practitioners, and students. It will help readers better understand policy evaluation by bringing answers to questions about a wide range of evaluation insights. All contributions are intended to help advance evaluation theory and practice, including methodological considerations, by reflecting on the usefulness of evaluation in the transformation era and making it a powerful tool for effective policymaking.
Objective
This book aims to uncover concepts, frameworks, and ideas for a new perspective on evaluating public policy. This will help audiences understand the importance of evaluation in governance and spell out the requirements and methodological considerations for quality evaluations helpful to policymakers.
The book’s structure is divided into four parts. In Part A, there are presented some general issues regarding evaluation analyzed in four chapters, There is presented the concept of evaluation in recent days characterized by uncertainty and crises, as well as the key horizontal principles in the evaluation practice. Moreover, how to secure effectiveness and legislative quality through evaluation is described, as well as the role of participatory and empowering approaches to social inclusion.
Part B is about the role of evaluation in sustainable development. Evaluation and sustainable development have a close relationship and are essential in ensuring the longevity of sustainability efforts. Evaluation involves assessing the results and impact of initiatives promoting sustainable development to see if they achieve their goals and objectives. The information gathered from evaluations can then be used to make informed decisions, improve the design and implementation of sustainability projects, and track progress. Additionally, evaluation provides valuable data that can be used to identify areas for improvement and allocate resources more effectively.
Part C presents the role of evaluation in policy issues. Evaluation is crucial for policymakers as it allows them to evaluate the success and impact of policies addressing various issues. The information gained from these evaluations provides valuable insights that can inform decision-making and enhance the design and execution of future policies. By comparing the outcomes of various policies and interventions, policymakers can identify what works and what doesn't, leading to more informed decisions about resource allocation and the design of future policies. Evaluation is, therefore, a critical factor in policy-making, providing data and information to support better decisions and improve policy outcomes.
Finally, Part D presents evaluation as a tool for innovation, entrepreneurship and corporate governance. Evaluation is a valuable tool for monitoring progress, determining impact, and finding areas for improvement in various fields, such as innovation, entrepreneurship, and corporate governance. In innovation, it can be used to determine the feasibility and potential impact of new ideas, products, and technologies. This information helps innovators decide which ideas to focus on and how to allocate resources. Evaluation can also help track innovation project progress and identify improvement areas. Entrepreneurship can be used to evaluate the viability of business models and identify areas for improvement. This helps entrepreneurs make informed decisions about resource allocation, effort prioritization, and business strategy refinement. Evaluation can also be used to monitor the growth of entrepreneurial ventures. In corporate governance, evaluation helps assess the effectiveness of governance practices and systems and identifies areas for improvement. This information helps organizations make informed decisions about resource allocation, governance improvement, and compliance with laws and regulations. Evaluation can also monitor the impact of corporate governance initiatives and identify areas for improvement.
Book Editors:
Em. Prof. Panagiotis E. Petrakis
Assist. Prof. Paraskevi Boufounou
Assist. Prof. Pantelis C. Kostis