COVID-19 bracht ons land in een sluipende beleidscrisis. Het virus kwam in golven, liet zich voelen op tal van vlakken en zette aan tot maatschappelijke discussie en conflict. Overheidsbeleid... Show moreCOVID-19 bracht ons land in een sluipende beleidscrisis. Het virus kwam in golven, liet zich voelen op tal van vlakken en zette aan tot maatschappelijke discussie en conflict. Overheidsbeleid errond was van meet af aan cruciaal, maar zeker niet evident. En dat maakte beleidsleren tijdens de voorbije twee jaren tot een belangrijke must. Inzicht in dat beleidsleren is er vandaag al wel. Maar tot heden is er nog relatief weinig over bekend in crisistijd. In deze bijdrage exploreren we twee types beleidsleren. Enerzijds is er instrumenteel leren dat zich operationeel uit in aanpassingen van beleidsinstrumenten die de overheid inzet. Anderzijds is er de meer fundamentele variant van sociaal leren die zich toont ingeval paradigma’s en beleidsdoelen wijzigen. Kwamen deze types beleidsleren echt voor tijdens het Belgische COVID-19 beleid? En zo ja, wanneer dan? We exploreren hun voorkomen en dynamiek mits een uitgebreide documentenanalyse. En dit laat ons toe om het Belgische COVID-19 beleid van 2020 en 2021 te reconstrueren aan de hand van drie episodes. Het nationaal gevoerde beleid kende eerst een crisiscontrolerende episode tot medio 2020 waarin vooral instrumenteel leren de boventoon voerde. Daarop volgde, tot het eind van dat eerste crisisjaar, een periode met veel sociaal leren en zoeken naar meer beleidslegitimiteit. En die episode ging over in één die zich tot eind 2021 kenmerkte door wederom vooral instrumenteel leren en een crisisbeleid dat een duidelijk verbredende turn had genomen. Dit unieke relaas van COVID-19 gedreven beleidsleren zet aan tot denken over beleid(sleren) in crisistijd. Zijn er nog andere leertrajecten te spotten? Hoe gaan beleidsmakers er (best) mee om? En wat is de status van onze learning governance? Er zijn tal van vragen en issues voor beleidsonderzoek en -praktijk. Enkele ervan leggen we op basis van onze verkennende studie voor. Show less
Alámos-Concha, P.; Pattyn, V.; Rihoux, B., Schalembier, B.; Beach, D.; Cambré, B. 2021
What is the most appropriate QCA solution type when engaging in a multimethod design that includes QCA and in-depth process-tracing (PT)? While either the intermediate or the parsimonious solution... Show moreWhat is the most appropriate QCA solution type when engaging in a multimethod design that includes QCA and in-depth process-tracing (PT)? While either the intermediate or the parsimonious solution are generally favored in QCA-only studies, we identify important challenges that can emerge when selecting those solutions in a QCA-PT multimethod study. We particularly highlight the risk of mechanistic heterogeneity, omitted conditions, and draw the attention on the issue of generalization. We discuss each of these intertwined challenges in depth, and explain why the conservative solution is useful to consider in addressing them. We substantiate our arguments by drawing on a recently completed evaluation study that was commissioned by the Flemish ESF Agency in Belgium. In the study, we combined QCA and theory-guided in-depth process-tracing to uncover under what combinations of conditions (QCA) a training programme would lead to successful training transfer and how (PT) this happened in the successful cases. The article highlights the need to carefully consider the selection of solution types in any multimethod design comprising QCA. Show less
Tan, E.; Pattyn, V.; Casiano, C.: Crompvoets, J. 2021
This article presents a novel capacity assessment framework, coined as Fit-For-Purpose capacity assessment framework (FCAF), to measure the capacity of the land administration system compliant... Show moreThis article presents a novel capacity assessment framework, coined as Fit-For-Purpose capacity assessment framework (FCAF), to measure the capacity of the land administration system compliant with the Fit-For-Purpose approach. The framework incorporates legal, political, operational, social, technical, and technological capacity conditions and provides a holistic view of the capacity development pathways. The FCAF is designed by merging six capacity dimensions, namely regulations, political system, operational unit, social norms, land recording techniques, and software. FCAF systematically identifies context-specific, enabling and impeding capacity components and thus provides a basis to develop the necessary capacity development strategies and interventions. Specifically, FCAF can serve as a useful heuristic for the development of the capacity development strategies for the adaptation and sustainability of the geospatial technologies in land administration systems. In the article, by assessing the capacity needs for the adaptation of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in Rwandese and Kenyan land administration systems, the efficacy of the FCAF is tested. The findings suggest that in Rwanda, capacity conditions are more supportive of an easier uptake of UAV. Nonetheless, weak market conditions and strict regulations concerning UAV call for attention. In Kenya, existing institutional and political challenges in the land administration system raise concerns about the reliability and attainability of UAV under the current framework conditions. Despite that, there are more supportive market conditions in Kenya in comparison to Rwanda and multiple non-governmental and private actors that can bolster the adaptation process into a more sustainable and scalable land administration system. Show less
Governments worldwide have intensified their efforts to institutionalize policy evaluation. Still, also in organizations with high evaluation maturity, the use of evaluations is not self-evident.... Show moreGovernments worldwide have intensified their efforts to institutionalize policy evaluation. Still, also in organizations with high evaluation maturity, the use of evaluations is not self-evident. As mature organizations already meet many of the factors that are commonly seen to foster evaluation use, they constitute an interesting research setting to identify (combinations of) factors that can make a key difference in minimizing research waste. In this article, we present an analysis of the use of evaluations conducted between 2013 and 2016 by the Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a typical case of relatively high evaluation maturity. Methodologically, we rely on Qualitative Comparative Analysis as an approach that is excellently suited to capture the causal complexity characterizing evaluation use. The analysis provides useful insights on the link between knowledge production and use. We highlight the relevance of engaging policy makers in developing the evaluation design, and fine-tune available evidence as to what is perceived a good timing to organize evaluations. Contrary to existing research, we show that the political salience of an evaluation does not matter much. Show less
The aim of this article is to build up a concept-informed research design to answer “why and how” a policy can make a difference. It demonstrates the potential and challenges of an innovative... Show moreThe aim of this article is to build up a concept-informed research design to answer “why and how” a policy can make a difference. It demonstrates the potential and challenges of an innovative multimethod approach, which combines a configurational and mechanistic view to policy effectiveness.The article hereto draws on experiences in applying Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Process Tracing in one single evaluation. The study calls for a rigorous treatment of concepts, especially to avoid the risk of mechanistic heterogeneity. It unpacks important lessons in concept formation and operationalization, so as to ensure concept validity and to make strong causal inferences. Show less
In this article we map and explain the sources of knowledge cited on 85 Brexit impact appraisals, 46 of which were formal impact assessments ordered and published by the European Parliament and 39... Show moreIn this article we map and explain the sources of knowledge cited on 85 Brexit impact appraisals, 46 of which were formal impact assessments ordered and published by the European Parliament and 39 ‘sectoral reports’ ordered by the UK Government and released by the House of Commons Exiting the EU Committee. All reports were published between the day after the UK referendum and the year after the start of the UK-EU negotiations. We conducted a citation analysis of 3537 references and tested author push and policy sector pull hypotheses with non-parametric tests. Our findings highlight the epistemic function of the professional referent groups to which authors belong. Authors tend to generate information and cite sources that are congruent with their ‘home group’ in the departmental unit where they work, or their larger professional group, even in urgent high-salient risk situations like Brexit. Differences between policy sectors do not strongly matter. Show less
Koeva, M.; Stocker, C.; Crommelinck, S.; Ho, S.; Chipofya, M.; Sahib, J.; ... ; Pattyn, V. 2020
There exists a demand for effective land administration systems that can support the protection of unrecorded land rights, thereby assisting to reduce poverty and support national development-in... Show moreThere exists a demand for effective land administration systems that can support the protection of unrecorded land rights, thereby assisting to reduce poverty and support national development-in alignment with target 1.4 of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is estimated that only 30% of the world's population has documented land rights recorded within a formal land administration system. In response, we developed, adapted, applied, and tested innovative remote sensing methodologies to support land rights mapping, including (1) a unique ontological analysis approach using smart sketch maps (SmartSkeMa); (2) unmanned aerial vehicle application (UAV); and (3) automatic boundary extraction (ABE) techniques, based on the acquired UAV images. To assess the applicability of the remote sensing methodologies several aspects were studied: (1) user needs, (2) the proposed methodologies responses to those needs, and (3) examine broader governance implications related to scaling the suggested approaches. The case location of Kajiado, Kenya is selected. A combination of quantitative and qualitative results resulted from fieldwork and workshops, taking into account both social and technical aspects. The results show that SmartSkeMa was potentially a versatile and community-responsive land data acquisition tool requiring little expertise to be used, UAVs were identified as having a high potential for creating up-to-date base maps able to support the current land administration system, and automatic boundary extraction is an effective method to demarcate physical and visible boundaries compared to traditional methodologies and manual delineation for land tenure mapping activities. Show less
Autonomie is een kernprincipe voor het functioneren van een ombudsman, en wordt ook maatschappelijk hoog in het vaandel gedragen, zoals bleek uit de ophef in 2016 rond de niet-verlenging van het... Show moreAutonomie is een kernprincipe voor het functioneren van een ombudsman, en wordt ook maatschappelijk hoog in het vaandel gedragen, zoals bleek uit de ophef in 2016 rond de niet-verlenging van het mandaat van de toenmalige Kinderombudsman. In Nederland werd de Kinderombudsman ondergebracht in een bestaand autonoom instituut: de Nationale ombudsman. Dit confronteert ons met een interessant bestuurskundig vraagstuk: in hoeverre schept deze bijzondere organisatorische constructie voldoende autonomie? Dit artikel bespreekt de resultaten van een onderzoek waarin we dit vraagstuk bekeken voor de Kinderombudsman. Uit een beschouwing van de wettelijke en feitelijke autonomie blijkt de autonomie van de Kinderombudsman in behoorlijke mate afhankelijk te zijn van de opstelling van de Nationale ombudsman en van de relatie tussen de Nationale ombudsman en de Kinderombudsman. Dit onderstreept de noodzaak om bij de oprichting van een instituut te bepalen hoe de autonomie moet worden gewaarborgd. Show less
Pattyn, V.; Blum, S.; Fobé, E.; Pekar-Milicevic, M.; Brans, M. 2019
Research on policy-advisory systems worldwide has shown that historically dominant sources of advice traditionally located in-house to the government have been increasingly supplemented by other... Show moreResearch on policy-advisory systems worldwide has shown that historically dominant sources of advice traditionally located in-house to the government have been increasingly supplemented by other actors and outside knowledge. However, the vast majority of research has concentrated on the anglophone context. Yet, countries with a consensus-seeking, neo-corporatist tradition provide a special case in terms of policy advice and merit more scholarly attention. What counts as evidence in these countries is the expert rationality of institutional representatives. The position and role of academic research in consensus-based systems is unclear, and is the focus of this article. Can we observe commonalities across consensus-style countries, or do differences prevail? We investigate two typical consensus-seeking countries: Belgium and Germany. To examine the supply side of policy advice, the article reviews current evidence regarding their policy-advisory systems. For the demand side, we present insights from a survey among federal ministerial officials. We find common trends between the two cases but their nature and extent are idiosyncratic. In Belgium, the supply of and demand for academic policy advice is comparatively lower, while the German case exhibits more change in the advisory landscape and institutionalisation of the supply of and demand for academic research. Show less
Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is gaining ground in evaluation circles, but the number of applications is still limited. In this article, we consider the challenges that can emerge during a... Show moreQualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is gaining ground in evaluation circles, but the number of applications is still limited. In this article, we consider the challenges that can emerge during a QCA evaluation by drawing on our experience of conducting one in the field of development cooperation. For each stage of the evaluation process, we systematically discuss the challenges we encountered and suggest solutions on how these can be addressed. We believe that sharing this kind of lessons learned can help evaluators become more familiar with QCA, shedding light on what it is to be expected when considering the application of QCA for an evaluation, at the same time reducing unfounded fears and promoting awareness of traps and requirements. The article can be insightful and potentially inspirational for both commissioners and evaluators. Show less
Purpose This study of the impact of Belgian Court of Audit on the federal Administration for the 2005 to 2010 period aims to highlight the auditors’ influence on the management of... Show morePurpose This study of the impact of Belgian Court of Audit on the federal Administration for the 2005 to 2010 period aims to highlight the auditors’ influence on the management of governmental organizations through the performance audits they have been conducting since 1998. A set of ten variables allows us to measure the three types of uses of performance auditors’ work by auditees: instrumental, conceptual and strategic uses. Design/methodology/approach A survey was sent out to a total of 148 respondents identified by the authorities of the targeted organizations. 47 usable questionnaires were completed (32% response rate). Findings The Court of Audit’s impact on the audited entities did not provoke radical changes in the auditees’ organizational life but the intervention of the auditors was nevertheless noticeable. The nature of the impact was rather conceptual than strategic or instrumental. And the negative consequences on auditees anticipated in the literature were not observed. Research limitations/implications Given the five-year period covered by the study which was made in 2014 (four years after 2010), it had to deal with the mortality of respondents and the loss of organizational memory. Practical implications The study gives more accurate insights about the influence that Supreme Audit Institutions actually exert on audited Administrations through their performance audits. Originality/value Since Supreme Audit Institutions have been mandated to evaluate government’s economy, efficiency and effectiveness for almost 40 years in the western democracies, it is mandatory that their actual ability to influence Administrations be documented more abundantly and independently by academic researchers. Show less
An evaluation can be conducted in-house or can be outsourcedto an external party. Yet organizations do not always have fulldiscretion to decide on the locus for evaluation implementation.Certain... Show moreAn evaluation can be conducted in-house or can be outsourcedto an external party. Yet organizations do not always have fulldiscretion to decide on the locus for evaluation implementation.Certain attributes often push the organization in one directionor another. Via a systematic pairwise comparison of attributes of18 organizations in the Flemish (Belgian) public sector, we wereable to indicate the conditions that matter most in determiningthe locus of policy evaluation implementation. Our findings canthus enrich existing guidelines on the advantages and disadvantagesof internal and external evaluations. Show less
