Evaluation in Complex Policy Systems

Sanderson, Ian

doi:10.1177/13563890022209415

Cited by 175 publications

(188 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

184

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Knowing 'what works' is regarded as instrumental for designing interventions (Pawson and Tilley 1997;Sanderson 2000;Pawson 2006). In this case, it is significant for undertaking 21 future technology intermediation initiatives in a way that addresses structural interface deficiencies and promotes the enhancement and innovative activity of rural production systems.…”

Section: Conclusion and Avenues For Further Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intermediation for technology diffusion and user innovation in a developing rural economy: a social learning perspective

Theodorakopoulos

Bennett

Preciado

2014

Entrepreneurship & Regional Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Technology intermediaries are seen as potent vehicles for addressing perennial problems in transferring technology from university to industry in developed and developing countries.This paper examines what constitutes effective user-end intermediation in a low technology, developing economy context, which is an under-researched topic. The social learning in technological innovation (SLTI) framework is extended using situated learning theory in a longitudinal instrumental case study of an exemplar technology intermediation programme.The paper documents the role that academic-related research and advisory centres can play as intermediaries in brokering, facilitating and configuring technology, against the backdrop of a group of small-scale pisciculture businesses in a rural area of Colombia. In doing so, it demonstrates how technology intermediation activities can be optimised in the domestication and innofusion of technology amongst end-users. The design components featured in this instrumental case of intermediation can inform policy making and practice relating to technology transfer from university to rural industry. Future research on this subject should consider the intermediation components put forward, as well as the impact of such 2 interventions, in different countries and industrial sectors. Such research would allow for theoretical replication and help improve technology domestication and innofusion in different contexts, especially in less developed countries.Keywords -university-to-industry intermediation, regional development, technology transfer, innofusion, situated learning, rural industry. IntroductionRegional development policy in Latin America has been geared toward creating national systems framework is extended by using situated learning theory (Lave and Wenger 1989;Brown and Duguid 1991, 1998Wenger 1998Wenger , 2000Swan, Scarbrough and Robertson 2002) to create a potent analytical lens. The focus here is on the mechanism of a certain type of technology intermediation programmes, i.e. run by academic-related/third sector research and advisory centres, within a low technology/traditional industry sector in a developing economy setting.The level of analysis is a successful intervention programme undertaken by a regional thirdsector intermediary, bringing together academic, local government and pisciculture industry stakeholders. This particular programme was designed to address the lack of technology transfer to small pisciculture agribusinesses, which is deemed as an issue of strategic priority in Colombia, given the importance attached to the expansion of key rural industries (Cruz-Casalias, Medina-Robles and Velasco-Santamaria 2011).The paper is organised as follows. The second section delineates the theoretical background, explicating the constituent elements of situated learning theory used to extend

show abstract

Section: Conclusion and Avenues For Further Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intermediation for technology diffusion and user innovation in a developing rural economy: a social learning perspective

Theodorakopoulos

Bennett

Preciado

2014

Entrepreneurship & Regional Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss these in detail (see Sanderson 2000) but some key points can be addressed briefly. First, I would argue that evaluation must move beyond its traditional concern with measuring effect sizes and degrees of goal achievement to embrace a theory-based approach to explanation.…”

Section: Some Implications For Evaluationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation, Policy Learning and Evidence‐Based Policy Making

Sanderson

2002

Public Administration

Self Cite

774

454

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The increasing emphasis on the need for evidence-based policy indicates the continuing influence of the 'modernist' faith in progress informed by reason. Although the rationalist assumptions of evidence-based policy making have been subject to severe challenge from constructivist and post-modernist perspectives, it is argued that the attempt to ground policy making in more reliable knowledge of 'what works' retains its relevance and importance. Indeed, its importance is enhanced by the need for effective governance of complex social systems and it is argued that 'reflexive social learning' informed by policy and programme evaluation constitutes an increasingly important basis for 'interactive governance'. The expanded use of piloting of new policies and programmes by the current UK Government is considered to provide limited scope for evaluation to derive reliable evidence of whether policies work. There is a need for greater clarity about the role of evaluation in situations where piloting essentially constitutes 'prototyping'. More emphasis should be placed on developing a sound evidence base for policy through longterm impact evaluations of policies and programmes. It is argued from a realist position that such evaluation should be theory-based and focused on explaining and understanding how policies achieve their effects using 'multi-method' approaches.

show abstract

“…Owens brings forth other possible "less comfortable" answers to the slow progress in suggesting that EPI necessitates a confrontation between societal goals where tough choices must be made. Still, however, the question of timing in analysis deserves to be raised (Sanderson 2000, Nilsson 2005, Kautto and Similä 2005. Although we know quite a bit about what the inertias have been for implementing EPI at the regional development arena in the early years we know less of how these conditions have evolved over time.…”

Section: Introduction and Aimmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Learning is our Achilles heel”. Conditions for long-term environmental policy integration in Swedish regional development programming

Storbjörk

Isaksson

2013

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this paper is to explore how the capacity to integrate environmental sustainability in Swedish regional development programming has evolved over time, with particular focus on what facilitates and restricts change in different stages of implementation. The study builds on focus-group and individual interviews in four Swedish regions carried out in 2005 and 2011. The results suggest temporary and partial rather than enduring and substantial environmental policy integration (EPI). In 2005 the main challenges were to allocate support, focus and priority beyond the national policy rhetoric of regional sustainable development, to identify regional applications beyond singular "pockets of good practice" and to spread ownership and engagement for EPI from specific ambassadors to organizational mainstreaming. In 2011 we find evidence of a more mainstreamed approach of regional sustainable development but with new challenges of policy diffusion and sectorisation as well as a strong sense of projectification. There is a need to develop arenas and processes for intersectoral exchange, interaction and learning to achieve a more systematic change -which is, in essence, what policy integration is all about.

show abstract

Evaluation in Complex Policy Systems

Cited by 175 publications

References 29 publications

Intermediation for technology diffusion and user innovation in a developing rural economy: a social learning perspective

Intermediation for technology diffusion and user innovation in a developing rural economy: a social learning perspective

Evaluation, Policy Learning and Evidence‐Based Policy Making

“Learning is our Achilles heel”. Conditions for long-term environmental policy integration in Swedish regional development programming

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About