Data Collection and Analysis for Policy Evaluation: Not for Duty, but for Knowledge

Paper by Valentina Battiloro: “This paper explores the challenges and methods involved in public policy evaluation, focusing on the role of data collection and use. The term “evaluation” encompasses a variety of analyses and approaches, all united by the intent to provide a judgment on a specific policy, but which, depending on the precise knowledge objective, can translate into entirely different activities. Regardless of the type of evaluation, a brief overview of which is provided, the collection of information represents a priority, often undervalued, under the assumption that it is sufficient to “have the data.“ Issues arise concerning the precise definition of the design, the planning of necessary information collection, and the appropriate management of timelines. With regard to administrative data, a potentially valuable source, a number of unresolved challenges remain due to a weak culture of data utilization. Among these are the transition from an administrative data culture to a statistical data culture, and the fundamental issue of microdata accessibility for research purposes, which is currently hindered by significant barriers…(More)”.