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Policy design, impact assessment and evaluation
Ex-post Regulatory Evaluations
This course provides an introduction to the realm of Ex-post Regulatory Evaluations. It explains how to design, manage and monitor the evaluations, regardless of whether these activities are supported by EU funds. The course starts with an optional online session, offered for free, introducing participants to the basic principles standards and elements of Better Regulation (BR).
This course provides an introduction to the realm of regulatory ex-post evaluations. It covers how to design, manage and monitor the evaluations, regardless of whether these activities are supported by EU funds. It provides answers to the following questions:
- How can evaluation activities be managed effectively and efficiently?
- How organisations can ensure high-quality ex-post evaluations?
- How can evaluation results provide the evidence required for decision-making, and help to improve policies and programmes?
The course discusses how to ensure high-quality ex-post evaluations, by drawing on good practices and lessons learned from implementing ex-post evaluations in the European Commission. Building on this, the course provides insights into the pillars of sound evaluation design namely, the intervention logic, evaluation criteria, evaluation questions and the evaluation matrix. Moreover, the course provides participants with the opportunity to develop practical skills for managing evaluation studies and stakeholder consultation activities. Finally, the course highlights the latest developments and innovations in evaluations and methods to keep evaluations state-of-the-art in the theory and practice.
What you will learn in this course:
- How to manage an ex-post evaluation of a legal act;
- What are the analytical steps of an ex-post evaluation
- What evaluation design methodologies can be chosen to evaluate legislation.
- How to adjust expectations and choose the right shortcuts when selecting the best possible methodological approach (e.g. qualitative vs quantitative);
- How the European Commission system ensures transparency and quality of the evaluation work (Stakeholder consultation, regulatory Scrutiny Board)
- What is state-of-the-art in ex-post evaluation of legislation and what the future looks like.
Course methodology/highlights
The course will be led by experts who have decades of both research and practical experience in evaluation in an EU context and beyond.
The course combines interactive presentations, practical examples and quick polls and group exercises to consolidate the concepts.
Read our recent blog on Campaigns and Consultations: Campaigns in the European Commission’s public consultation written by our experts Nikolaos Sarris and Miranda Lovell-Prescod.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- evaluate the pros and cons of different evaluation methodologies and tools, and select the ones most relevant to your case;
- commission and manage meaningful evaluations and ensure the proper use of results;
- better integrate evaluation into the policy and programming cycle so it is actually used;
- recognise and identify what makes a good-quality evaluation.
You will be given the slides, as well as additional learning material and online resources, to help you apply your new knowledge and skills to your work.
This course on Regulatory ex post Evaluations is one of 5 courses we are currently offering in the context of the Better Regulation agenda.
Are you interested in taking a different course, please click below:
Introduction to the Better Regulation Agenda | Regulatory Impact Assessments | Stakeholder Consultation in the Context of Better Regulation | Strategic Foresight in Policy Making
Target group
Public officials, civil servants and policy analysts who work in government or parliamentary institutions, in EU Member States or candidate countries, similar to the following:
- ‘Better Regulation’ committees / programmes
- centres for research and analysis
- bureaucracy reduction agencies
- budget offices
- councils for regulatory impact assessments
Online Course
For this online course we make use of Zoom
Programme Organiser
Ms Eveline Hermens
Tel: +31 43 3296259
e.hermens@eipa.eu
Discounts
EIPA member fee
EIPA offers a discount to all civil servants working for one of EIPA’s supporting countries, and civil servants working for an EU institution, body or agency
Who are the supporting countries?
Civil servants coming from the following EIPA supporting countries are entitled to get the reduced fee: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden.
For all other participants, the regular fee applies
Early bird discount
The early bird discount is not cumulative with other discounts or promo codes, except for the EIPA member fee.
Who are the supporting countries?
Civil servants coming from the following EIPA supporting countries are entitled to get the reduced fee: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden.
For all other participants, the regular fee applies.
Confirmation
Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants on receipt of the completed online registration form.
Payment
Prior payment is a condition for participation.
Cancellation policy
For administrative reasons you will be charged € 50 for cancellations received within 7 days before the activity begins. There is no charge for qualified substitute participants.
EIPA reserves the right to cancel the activity up to 1 week before the starting date. In that case, registration fees received will be fully reimbursed.
A few days before the start of the course you will receive the log-in details for accessing the course materials. You can log in here.
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Our experts
Programme
| 08.45 | Registration of participants |
| 09.00 | Welcome and self-presentation of the participants Jordi del Bas, Evaluation expert, Senior researcher and Head of International Development, EU-Asia Global Business Research Center, Barcelona (ES) |
| Regulatory ex post Evaluation (Part I) | |
| 9:15 | Core definitions In this brief introductory session, we look at the foundational concepts for this course such as the definition of Evaluation and the Better Regulation Agenda. This session opens the conceptual landscape for the course. |
| 09.15 | What have we learned from evaluating regulatory measures in the context of Better Regulation? We look at what works and where challenges remain in regulatory ex-post evaluation. This session sets the ground for the remainder of the course. As a starting point, we use the results of the quality assurance work done by the Regulatory Scrutiny Board (RSB) and lessons from the implementation of the BR Guidelines and Toolbox in ex post regulatory evaluations of the European Commission |
| 10.15 | Coffee break |
| 10.30 | How to design an ex-post regulatory evaluation (I) Most weaknesses in the quality of ex post regulatory evaluations originate in the design. In this session, we discuss at the pillars of a sound evaluation design (the intervention logic, evaluation criteria, evaluation questions and the evaluation matrix). We focus on good practices and common pitfalls. Group Exercise. |
| 11.30 | Coffee break |
| 11.45 | How to design an ex-post regulatory evaluation (II) Methodological designsThe range of options is, at times, overwhelming. In this session we give an overview of different evaluation approaches, their key features, and how and why to use them. The discussion revolves around real-life examples to show the strengths and weaknesses of various evaluation approaches, and ways to design and apply them in practice. |
| 13.00 | End of the first day |
| 08.45 | Opening of online platform |
| Regulatory ex post Evaluation (Part II) | |
| 09.00 | How to manage ex-post regulatory evaluations: practical tips and considerations (I) In this session, we examine quality assurance mechanisms throughout the process; how to manage evaluation studies outsourced to contractors and stakeholder consultation (open and targeted |
| 10.15 | Coffee break |
| 10.30 | How to manage ex-post regulatory evaluations: practical tips and considerations (II) In this session, we continue working on stakeholder consultation. We also examine the quality of evaluation reports and ways to ensure and monitor the use of evaluation results. Group Exercise |
| 11.30 | Coffee break |
| 11.45 | What’s coming up? Latest developments and innovations in evaluation. State-of-the-art and innovation in evaluating regulatory measures. The recent OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook (2021) highlights that ‘traditional regulatory management tools, such as regulatory impact assessment (RIA), stakeholder engagement and ex post evaluation need to be adapted to help governments navigate the challenges and the opportunities brought by transformative changes.’ Regulatory interventions increasingly operate in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) contexts. Such contexts result in less predictability, less control, unclear cause-and-effect relations and increasing confusion for organisations. New evaluation approaches are emerging to address this reality. In this session, we introduce some of these new approaches which use real-time data, adaptive methods to evaluation, complexity theory and systems thinking. |
| 12.45 | Wrap-up and evaluation |
| 13.00 | End of the online course |