Evaluation and Performance Management Clients

International

Evaluation and Performance Management (EPM) researchers have worked on a number of projects focusing on conceptualising and improving governance for the World Bank and the OECD. The projects for the World Bank have included: helping client departments in Bangladesh, Romania, Kyrgyzstan, and the Ukraine to design cost-effective strategies to combat error, fraud, and corruption in their social protection system; designing toolkits to improve governance in social protection systems in Southeast Asia; and developing frameworks that help understand how ICTs contribute to human development outcomes. Our work with the OECD has focused on measuring changes and improvements in the civil service of East, Central and Southeast European countries that have either acceded to the European Union or are in the process of doing so. This work, together with the University of Nottingham, included the largest survey of civil servants undertaken in these regions. EPM researchers also undertake international work for UK clients. They recently won a three year ESRC/DFiD grant with the Institute for Fiscal Studies to look at the effectiveness of cash conditional transfer programmes, particularly looking at the relationship between programme administration and supply of services and specific human development outcomes.

European

EPM researchers have had a long history of working with the European Commission, in particular with DG SANCO, DG EMPL, and European agencies. Work has included ex-ante, ex-post and prospective evaluations as well as providing research support. Ex-ante approaches include for instance a number of regulatory impact assessments for DG SANCO, such as assessments of revisions in alcohol, tobacco, food labelling, organ donation, and human tissues. More recent evaluation work has taken place under a framework contract with DG JUST won last year, which combines the expertise of EPM researchers with the substantive experience of the Crime, Justice, and Communities team at RAND Europe. EPM researchers have undertaken a number of ex-post evaluations of complex programmes such as the European public health programme and work looking at the effectiveness of the impact assessment system. Prospective work included looking at policy priorities in social policy until 2020 for DG EMPL. An example of research support is the recent project to analyse the ESENER survey of health and safety in the European workplace for the European Health and Safety Agency (ESHA).

National

EPM researchers conduct work on and for UK Government. RAND Europe has had a long-standing strategic partnership with the UK National Audit Office, which is managed by EPM researchers . Work included over sixty contributions to ‘value for money’ reports conducted by the NAO on policy areas from defence to health. A recent report looks at how Department of Health (DH) information campaigns influence behaviour. Our work for the UK government mostly consists of collaborative work in area of health policy. EPM researchers work closely with the Health and Healthcare team at RAND Europe and outside partners such as the Institute of Public Health at Cambridge University, Brunel University and Ernst and Young. Recently, EPM researchers have been involved in work for the Health Foundation looking at ways that practitioners can improve the quality of health services; together with Ernst and Young. They have also been involved in evaluating pilot programmes for the DH that provide an integrated approach to the provision of health and social services; and the team together with the Work Foundation and Aston Business School contributed significantly to the Boorman Review looking at health and well-being of staff in the NHS.

Local

EPM researchers have had a productive relationship with the Local Better Regulation Office (LBRO). Work together has led to the development of an impact and outcomes toolkit for use by local authorities. The toolkit supports local authorities in making better assessments on the impact of their activities and is currently in use by close to 100 local authorities. The researchers continue to assist the roll-out of the toolkit by conducting train the trainer sessions and workshops across England. They won a contract to evaluate the primary authority scheme run by LBRO, which was completed in 2012. EPM also works with the Third Sector to improve performance management and strategic planning of organisations as exemplified by projects on measuring performance with Tommy’s the Baby Charity and on strategic planning with the UCL Library.