Our courses

Policy evaluation

Policy evaluation is a crucial step in ensuring government accountability and fostering the capacity to learn for the future. It holds up a mirror to policymakers and politicians, reflecting on the steps taken to achieve societal goals and bring about change. What lessons can be drawn from past results, whether successful or not, to improve future performance? Evaluation also provides the general public with the means to hold elected representatives accountable and, where desired, to steer a new course through the ballot box. As a field of research, evaluation is often a unique specialization; it focuses primarily on methodology and public administration, placing less emphasis on the substantive policy expertise or theoretical approaches more common in academia. In this course, we will focus on evaluation research, its role in democracy, the fascinating diversity of policy topics, and the methods used to determine not only whether something works, but, crucially, how it works and what lessons can be learned from it. We will

explore the Dutch policy and evaluation system, Theory of Change as a tool, and realistic evaluation as a method for assessing various cases, such as bans on social media use for children or gambling regulations.

Learning Goals

1. Insight into and understanding of the Dutch ‘policy cycle’:

2. Insight into and understanding of the Dutch evaluation system:

3. The skills to construct and test a ‘Theory of Change’ as an analytical

framework for effectiveness:

4. Insight into application of ‘Realistic Evaluation’ for understanding

effectiveness

5. An introduction to the relation of effectiveness with efficiency

Interested in this course?

Lecturer: dr. M. Vliek

Date: 7 April 2027, 10.00-16.30

Location:  OBA, Oosterdokskade 143, Amsterdam

Language: English or Dutch, depending on the preferences of the participants

Price: 435 euros (excluding taxes) including lunch and certificate of attendance