Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Special Events: Symposium: Adding a Pillar to Evidence-Based Management: Combining Evaluation with Operational Feedback

Chair: Robert Doar - American Enterprise Institute Speakers: Carolyn Heinrich - University of Texas; James Knickman - New York Health Foundation; and Vivian Tseng - W. T. Grant Foundation The claim of a “Golden Age of Evidence Based Policy” depends on the use of evidence at every stage of the policy and program implementation processes. At the implementation stage, until now the use of evidence has largely consisted of managers relying on operational feedback to guide decisions. These feedback and action cycles have often taken the form of “performance-stat” types of processes; i.e., reports from the field in real time on performance metrics. But even the best of these measures fall short of gauging impacts, or the value-added of intervention programs. Because funders and the public increasingly demand evidence of impacts, managers increasingly recognize the need to supplement operational feedback with the results of rigorous evaluations that assess program impacts. The prospects and challenges of adding program impacts to the theory and practice of management is the focus of this session.