Why do some types of evaluation use prevail in certain contexts and not in others? The aim of this article is to advance knowledge about organisational factors of evaluation use, that is,... Show moreWhy do some types of evaluation use prevail in certain contexts and not in others? The aim of this article is to advance knowledge about organisational factors of evaluation use, that is, determinants of evaluation use grounded in organisational theories. We critically review existing frameworks of organisational factors of evaluation use, highlighting key differences between them and pointing out discrepancies with empirical insights. We discuss the merits of two potential areas for future research that can help concretise theoretical stances: considering organisational legitimacy as a potential direct determinant of evaluation use and incorporating a dynamic perspective in organisational frameworks of evaluation use. 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
Het evaluatiemotief is sterk bepalend voor hoe een beleidsevaluatie gebruikt kanworden en verdient dan ook meer aandacht in studies over beleidsevaluatie. In ditartikel hebben we ons gebogen over... Show moreHet evaluatiemotief is sterk bepalend voor hoe een beleidsevaluatie gebruikt kanworden en verdient dan ook meer aandacht in studies over beleidsevaluatie. In ditartikel hebben we ons gebogen over de beweegredenen voor concrete evaluaties,zoals beschreven in vier reeksen van Vlaamse ministeriële beleidsnota’s die samentwintig jaar beleid afdekken. De belangrijkste vaststelling is dat motieven om teevalueren niet onderhevig blijken aan modes, noch worden ze sterk gestuurd doorhervormingen en bijhorend discours. Ondanks de introductie van New Public Managementgeoriënteerde hervormingen in de Vlaamse overheid en de financiële crisis,is de relatieve verdeling van evaluatiemotieven vrijwel ongewijzigd gebleven doorheende tijd. Er blijkt een stabiele behoefte aan ex ante en ex post evaluaties vanuiteen diversiteit aan evaluatiemotieven. De perceptie van een trend naar steeds meerevidence-based policy wordt op basis van de studie dus niet bevestigd. Opvallend isverder het lage aandeel van verantwoording als motief. 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
