Evaluation of programmes
PSP has undertaken a number of evaluations and reviews for research funders assessing the academic, economic and social outputs and impacts from research and other funding regimes.
Many of the evaluation reports that we have produced are internal working documents for our clients and have not been formally published, the links below take you to descriptions of the type of work that we have done and the clients with whom we have worked:
Programme evaluations
The core of these studies is often an internet survey of beneficiaries, supplemented with follow-up, in-depth, telephone interviews with some respondents and others, such as committee members, who are integral to the running of the scheme. Analysis of management data, both textual and numerical provides a context within which to situate findings from surveys and interviews, as do interviews with programme managers and those taking a strategic view of the programme. Similarly, positioning programmes within the wider landscape can help in strategic decision-making. We have undertaken programme evaluations for organisations including the Economic and Social Research Council, the Royal Society and the British Academy.
Evaluation frameworks
Crafting objectives for programmes from which to deduce the outcomes, outputs and impacts likely to be achieved provides a framework for any evaluation. Using this framework, it is easier to see what data is required to establish whether objectives have been achieved and how that data can best be sourced – from management data, surveys, interviews or focus groups with beneficiaries and others.
PSP has also developed ‘how to’ guides on evaluation for organisations that want to build in-house capacity to undertake or commission evaluation and for those evaluating their projects.
We have developed evaluation frameworks, including bespoke toolkits for the Royal Society and the Association for Science and Discovery Centres.
- EPSRC Partnership for Public Awareness Awards - good practice guide to delivering public engagement events
- Evaluation: good practice guidelines for project managers
Strategic reviews
Often cast as evaluation, strategic reviews are actually much broader and look not only at whether the policy or programme has met its objectives but at how it fits within the organisation.
This work generally includes analysis of management data and additional primary data collected by PSP. This primary data can come from on-line surveys, in-depth interviews and/or focus groups.
Bringing together internal and external stakeholders perspectives is often critical for organisations that wish to develop their policies, programmes and organisational mechanisms but this can be a challenging process and involves us working closely with clients. Clients have included The Wellcome Trust and central Government Departments.