Essentials of Public Policy Evaluation - Essay Example

Evaluators employ collaborative relationships to collect adequate data that actors will analyze to determine if a certain policy is effective or ineffective. Therefore, they employ varied methodologies to deal with contingencies that might modify the formal way of policy evaluation (Alkin 2010, p. 58). For the policymakers to understand a policy problem, they have to evaluate it through collecting data or information and analyze the collected data in a manner that enables them to find the desired solution to the problem.

For instance, the stakeholders involved in the evaluation process, let say an environmental policy, may gather adequate information through a quantitative method to arrive at the desired goals. The policy analysts can choose the quantitative design model for analyzing the policy, such as non-parametric or parametric experimental methods. The quantitative methodologies can include observations, interviews, questionnaires and surveys. Alternatively, they can choose qualitative design as a model for policy analysis such as observation, focused groups, interviews, surveys and case study analysis.

These methodologies are significant because they can enable stakeholders to gather unbiased and precise information of a certain policy, thus making modifications or changes where necessary (Vedung, 1997, p.229).Radin (2006, p. 547) argues that performance measures as indicators for public policy complexity. Therefore, he employs some approaches, especially the classical approach to reveal the measures of policy performance. Although the author narrows this approach without the organisational context in which the policy operates; thus reliability and neutrality of data require evaluation.

However, Radin does not defend the classical approach because it a logic, insensitive to the proper role of professional knowledge. The outcomes are also an enormous amount of misplaced tasks, which can actually paralyze government rather than improving it (Radin (2006, p. 549). Performance measurement has become one of the significant indicators and a mechanism for data management.