1. ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing Becoming an Effective Policy Advocate Bruce Jansson, University of Southern California PowerPoint created by Gretchen Heidemann, MSW, PhD Candidate University of Southern California School of Social Work

2. ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing Chapter 14 Assessing Policy: Towards Evidence-Based Policy during Task 8

3. The Rationalists’ Hope This chapter discusses the policy assessment task. It is logical to think that when an assessment indicates that a program is successful, it would be funded. (The Rationalists’ Hope) Many times this is not the case, however, because political considerations interfere. ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

4. Evidence-Based Policies Evidence-based policies are ones that achieve positive outcomes when they are evaluated with research However, research methodology cannot guarantee the effectiveness of a program so findings are open to question or differing conclusions

5. Evidence-Based (cont.) Assessment is both the ending and the beginning of social policy practice –It is the beginning when a negative assessment indicates a need to develop, enact, and implement a new policy ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

6. Evidence-Based (cont.) Policy assessment requires examining relationships between implemented policies and their effects It forces us to ask: –How, if at all, the world is different because a specific policy exists –What, if any, difference it would make if we removed or modified the policy ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

7. Supportive Policies Evidence-based practices cannot take place in many settings unless and until they are supported by policy. –Without supportive policies: N eeded resources are not provided Necessary approvals from high-level administrators are not forthcoming ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

8. Argumentation It has been suggested that program evaluation should be regarded as a form of argument and that the evaluator should make a case that others may choose to contest –In that context, evaluators become debaters who must defend their arguments ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

9. Argumentation (cont.) The debate between researchers and those who offer counterarguments can involve several dimensions or axes. For example: –Do the benefits justify the costs –Can effectiveness be shown in this time frame –Are the criteria weighed correctly –Is the data accurate ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

10. Challenges Researchers encounter five challenges when assessing policies –1. They must find comparison groups which have not been exposed to the policy –2. They must gather data with respect to specific criteria and with reference to specific comparison groups And the data must gathered in ways that make it as accurate as possible ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

11. Challenges (cont.) –3. Researchers must develop a sampling strategy –4. They must use statistical analysis to determine probability that differences between comparison groups were the result of the policy being evaluated –5. They must interpret and present findings in ways that make it likely that the policy will be retained if it appears to be working ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

12. Countering Innuendos Criticism of social policies is often done as innuendos that imply that a program is ineffective without regard to research or fact Policy advocates need to consult the research and research experts so that they can refute unfounded claims ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

13. Barriers to Evidence-Based Policies Politicians want policy proposals that will be popular with their constituents, regardless of research findings –Many do not trust researchers, feeling that they are too liberal and elitist ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

14. Barriers (cont.) Barriers come from researchers themselves when: –They cannot communicate their findings to public officials who are unschooled in statistics and methodology –They don’t agree with each other ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

15. Barriers (cont.) Definitive research does not exist with respect to how to prevent or address many social problems Findings with respect to one population may not apply to other ones Officials may be reluctant to invest resources in programs that do not obtain dramatic results ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

16. Barriers (cont.) It is difficult to implement new policies in organizations –Many persons resist change –Staff may lack requisite skills –Executives may be reluctant to provide leadership –There may not be sufficient financial resources ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

17. Returning to Values Some social policies can be defended on moral grounds without regard to empirical evidence of their effectiveness –Hospice provides humanistic services to those who are suffering –It is justified even if it does not save the government money ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

18. Values (cont.) A finding that a social program which is providing a needed service does save money is simply additional justification Research and values complement one another with respect to many social issues ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing

19. In Conclusion Evidence-based policy and policy evaluation need not be reserved for technical experts; all can make important contributions Assessing policies is the starting point for creating a world in which evidence and ethical values of social work function together to produce effective social welfare policies ©2014, Cengage Learning, Brooks/ Cole Publishing