Tom Ling

Photo of Tom Ling
Senior Research Leader and Head of Evaluation, RAND Europe
Cambridge Office

Education

Ph.D. in British government, University of Essex; M.A. in political theory, University of Essex; M.A. in social and political sciences, University of Cambridge

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact RAND Europe Media Relations at +44 (1223) 353 329, x2560, or email europeanmedia@rand.org.

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Overview

Tom Ling has over 20 years of experience in designing, managing and delivering complex evaluations. He is a senior research leader at RAND Europe and head of evaluation. He leads evaluations and applied research focused on the key challenges facing organisations in health, well-being, and development.

Before re-joining RAND, Ling was head of Impact Innovation and Evidence at Save the Children where his responsibilities included ensuring that evaluations contribute to policy and change in the challenging environment of international development. Prior to Save the Children, Ling spent 10 years at RAND Europe as director for Evaluation and Performance Audit following four years as senior research fellow at the National Audit Office in the UK. Before that he taught and researched in various universities.

He has contributed to research projects with the European Commission, Save the Children, UK government departments, the National Audit Office, the Health Foundation in the UK and many others. He has published widely on evaluation, accountability, and related topics. He recently co-edited Performance Audit: Contributing to Accountability in Democratic Government (London: Edward Elgar), following his Performance Audit Handbook and The Evidence Book, a critical examination of the use of evidence in public policy and service delivery.

Most commonly his evaluations have been mixed methods evaluations, often combining impact evaluations with process evaluations. 

Research Focus

Concurrent Non-RAND Positions

Senior honorary research fellow, University of Cambridge; Professor (Emeritus) Anglia Ruskin University; Vice President, European Evaluation Society

Previous Positions

Senior Research Fellow, National Audit Office; Head of Impact, Innovation and Evidence

Recent Projects

  • Evaluating Project Q - a platform for health improvement in the UK
  • Evaluating the health innovation system in the UK
  • Estabilshing a framework for evaluating counter violent radicalisation programs
  • Evaluating the UK Integrated Care Pilots

Selected Publications

Kriznik N.M., A.L. Kinmonth, T. Ling, M.P. Kelly, "Moving beyond individual choice in policies to reduce health inequalities: the integration of dynamic with individual explanations," Journal of Public Health, 2018 (forthcoming)

Winpenny, E M, Corbett, J, Miani, C, King, S, Pitchforth, E, Ling, T, van Teijlingen, E and Nolte, E, "Community Hospitals in Selected High Income Countries: A Scoping Review of Approaches and Models," International Journal of Integrated Care, 2016

Tom Ling "Achieving equality at scale through system transformation; evaluating system change," in Kim Forss and Mita Marra, Speaking Justice to Power Ethical and Methodological Challenges for Evaluators Comparative Policy Evaluation, Transaction Press, 2013

Tom Ling and Jeremy Lonsdale, Performance Auditing and Accountability to Parliament in the UK, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011

Stephanie Diepeveen, Tom Ling, Marc Suhrcke, Martin Roland, Theresa M Marteau, "Public acceptability of government intervention to change health-related behaviours: a systematic review and narrative synthesis," International Journal of Integrated Care, 2013

T Ling, "Evaluating complex and unfolding interventions in real time," Evaluation, 18(1), 2012

Tom Ling, "Ex Ante Evaluation and the Changing Public Audit Function: The Scenario Planning Approach," Evaluation, 9(4), 2003

Sonja Marjanovic, Marlene Altenhofer, Lucy Hocking, Joanna Chataway, Tom Ling, " ‘Innovating for improved healthcare: Sociotechnical and innovation systems perspectives and lessons from the NHS," Science and Public Policy, , 2020

Honors & Awards

  • Professor (Emeritus) in Public Policy, Anglia Ruskin University

Recent Media Appearances

Interviews: BBC

Commentary

Publications