Search

To answer some evaluation questions, the Independent Evaluation process of the Veneto Region's Smart Specialisation Strategy (ROP ERDF 2014-2020) will be taken as a case study, considering the subsequent preparation of the new M&E system (2021-2027). Starting from the reference context and the definition of the evaluand, the article lists the methods and analysis techniques used to demonstrate the importance of implementing learning and empowerment-oriented evaluation paths in order to provide policymakers with a basis for the preparation of the next Programming period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the last 30 years of EU multiannual programming. The ultimate objective is to capture how the way of interpreting evaluation has changed during this long journey and how the Italian PA has used this 'tool' to increase the effectiveness of policies and strengthen awareness in planning and implementing public investments co-financed by the European Union. In six programming cycles, from 1989-1993 to 2021-2027, evaluation has had ups and downs, passing from the utmost marginality to a certain centrality. The approaches and tools put in place by the European Commission to make it useful for improving the results of the resources invested have been various, and this article attempts to summarise them, also in order to continue with momentum in the drive to strengthen public action for which evaluation is the vehicle. The retrospective analysis of the different interpretations that the evaluation processes have had in the Structural Funds (mainly ERDF and ESF) and in the rural development policies (EAFRD) allows us to learn some relevant lessons on the most effective strategies and on those that have not proved appropriate. It analyses how evaluation acted at the time of the pandemic, what lessons it has left in the scientific community in this particular stage of our recent history, also by means of a survey of insiders and PA staff involved in evaluation processes. Prospects for the near future are pointed out, providing some hints and suggestions for strengthening evaluation as an opportunity to affect the quality of administrative action in the country system and capable of fostering a cultural change in the management of public affairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methodology presented in this article is an unorthodox evaluation methodology that aims at verifying the effects of regional Rural Development Programs (RDP) on farms, namely the main direct and indirect beneficiaries of interventions. The peculiarity and innovation of the method is not found in the instruments used for the investigation, which are in fact traditional, but in the overall construction of the logical framework underlying the approach: the farm is at the center of the methodology because it is identified as the main beneficiary of the RDP and as the subject on which the Program can act effectively with respect to two main variables, competitiveness and ecological footprint. This methodology makes it possible to analyze and evaluate the extent to which the RDP acts on farms in relation to these two variables, verifying in which direction they are moving. In particular, the qualitative-quantitative method allows to identify typological groups of farms (clusters) and to observe the development trajectories undertaken by them. The advantages of this tested methodology consist in its flexibility, with respect to the object observed and the quantitative data available, in its ability to return a holistic view of the system on which it intervenes and, in its effectiveness, to support decision-making processes. Participation is a key element of this method and relevant actors all contribute designing the context and influencing results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rassegna Italiana di Valutazione is the property of FrancoAngeli srl and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper aims to describe the experience carried out in the Rural Development Programme (RDP) of Tuscany Region for the period 2007-2013 in the assessment of the activities implemented by the Local Action Groups (LAG) using a participatory approach. This assessment method has been adopted to stimulate awareness of the LAGs as local development agents and enhancer of the Social Capital of the territories in which they operated. Through an evaluation process well-structured step by step, the self-assessment tried to maximize the acquisition of information from the individual LAG for the RDP evaluation at regional level and to strengthen their empowerment and reliability as agents of rural and local development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to highlight -- through a case study -- the importance of participatory approach in the midterm evaluation of the Rural Development Programme. The first issue to be addressed will be the methods and techniques of analysis of the case study called "voce alle aziende", based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry. The work is based on the assumption that the participatory assessment does not necessarily imply adherence to a discipline, to a method or any specific techniques. In addition, as a new and defining element, the various activities carried out were divided into three consecutive and complementary phases, with different levels of direct involvement of the beneficiaries of the Program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]