Ideal-types of Health Promotion Evaluation Practice Louise Potvin, PhD Université de Montréal III Saminario Brasileiro de Efetivivade da Promoçao da Saude Rio de Janeiro, May

Evaluation is a practice whose objects are other practices that aim at transforming social conditions Evaluation methods are not disconnected from the other dimensions that constitute practice Health promotion evaluation practices are diverse and serve various ends Message

Useful Definitions

Population health interventions are « social » by nature; they involve: – transformative actions of humans on the determinants of human health – coordinating actions from social agents capable of agency Interactions among interventions components and with contextual elements produce the intervention Health promotion interventions are always situated in time and place Health promotion interventions are complex open systems Health promotion interventions Complexity

Innovation results from a tinkering that consist in reorganising, and developing new, connections between pre-existing entities. Innovation is supported by a socio-technical network in which controversies emerge Evaluation results are instrumental to solve controversies, consolidate the socio- technical network and support innovation Innovation: Three propositions from the Actor-Network Theory

Evaluation Research: Making sense Evaluation assists sense making about policies and programs through the conduct of systematic inquiry that describes and explains the policies and programs operations, effects, justifications and social implications (Mark, Henry & Julnes, 2000, p.3) Mark, M., Henry, G. T., & Julnes, G. (2000). Evaluation. An integrated framework for understanding, guiding, and improving public and non profit policies and programs. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Evaluation research: Making sense

1: Why to evaluate? Assist in sense making Understanding as oppose to judging 2: How to evaluate? Systematic inquiry Scientific activity 3: What to evaluate? operations, effects, justifications and social implications of policies and programs All elements of a system of action and their interactions Evaluation research

Transformative action of a subject on an « object »: the object of health promotion evaluation is another practice (T. Schwandt) Evaluation results are contingent to the evaluators: Point of view Training Conception of science and scientific work Context of practice Practice

The Practice of Health Promotion Evaluation

1: Teleology: What is the aim of the practice? To which project does it contribute? 2: Ontology: What is the object the practice aims to change. What is the nature of this object 3: Epistemology: How can one know about the object of the practice? What is the relationship between the subject and the object? 4: Methodology: How is the object transformed? What are the actions operated through the practice Four dimensions of practice

Three ideal-types of evaluation practice Evaluation as experimentation Evaluation as mediation Evaluation as organised reflexivity TELEOLOGY Test Hypotheses Develop shared representation Conditions that re-produce action

Three ideal-types of evaluation practice Evaluation as experimentation Evaluation as mediation Evaluation as organised reflexivity ONTOLOGY Technical entities Actors representations System of actions

Three ideal-types of evaluation practice Evaluation as experimentation Evaluation as mediation Evaluation as organised reflexivity EPISTEMOLOGY Positivism Constructivism Critical realism

Three ideal-types of evaluation practice Evaluation as experimentation Evaluation as mediation Evaluation as organised reflexivity METHODOLOGY Experimental manipulation Hermeneutic circles Follow the action

Conclusion and Key Messages

Evaluation is a practice whose objects are other practices that aim at transforming social conditions Evaluation methods are not disconnected from the other dimensions that constitute practice Health promotion evaluation practices are diverse and serve various ends Message