Evaluation Methods

This workshop will be helb by Chantal Strotz and Tobias Arnold on Week 1 (17 - 21 August, 2020).

Workshop contents and objectives
The overall aim of this workshop is to introduce participants to the methods of policy evaluation. In the first part of the workshop, we will look at the basics of policy evaluation: What is a policy evaluation? What is the significance of policy evalua-tions in the Swiss context? What are the benefits of policy evaluations and where are the limits? The second part of the workshop is about the methods used in policy evaluations. In principle, evaluations can draw on the entire spectrum of social science methods. In the workshop, we will focus on the most important methods and discuss their application in the context of evaluations - using concrete examples from our practice. We will discuss both qualitative and quantitative methods with a focus less on the methodological foundations but more on the practical applications and challenges associated with evaluations. A special emphasis will be put on the following methods - however, the lecturers are open to the input and interests of participants:

• Qualitative interviews
• Focus groups
• Workshops and participatory methods (e.g. World Café, Future workshop)
• Case Studies
• Survey methods: (Online) survey, on-site-survey
• Statistical analysis: Regression, Cluster analysis, Synthetic Control Method
• Field observation

A special focus is also placed on the design of evaluations, i.e. the combination of methods in order to be able to examine an evaluation object as comprehensively as possible.

Prerequisites
No particular prerequisites are required.

Bibliography

• Abadie, A., A. Diamond, A and J. Hainmueller (2015). Comparative politics and the synthetic control method. American Journal of Political Science 59(2): 495-510.
• Balthasar, A. (2011). Critical Friend Approach: Policy Evaluation Between Meth-odological Soundness, Practical Relevance, and Transparency of the Evaluation Process. German Policy Studies, 7 (3), p. 187-231.
• Bickman, L. and D. J. Rog (2009). The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
• Clarke, A. (1999). Evaluation Research. An Introduction to Principles, Methods and Practice, London: Sage.
• Rogers, P. J. (2008). Using Programme Theory to Evaluate Complicated and Complex Aspects of Interventions. Evaluation, 14 (1), p. 29-48.