IMPLEMENTATION ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT (FROM EVALUATION STUDIES - REVIEW ANNUAL, V 3, 1978 BY THOMAS D COOK ET AL - SEE NCJ-51598)

• NCJ Number: 51602
• Author(s): W WILLIAMS
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 36 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REPRINTED FROM POLICY ANALYSIS, V 1, N 3 (SUMMER 1975)

Annotation

ANALYTICAL AND ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES AND STAGES IN THE POLICYMAKING AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCESSES ARE DELINEATED, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF PROGRAM OPERATIONS, POLICY ANALYSIS, AND EXPERIMENTATION IN SOCIAL POLICY.

Abstract

SIX STAGES OF THE POLICY PROCESS ARE THE SEARCH FOR INFORMATION AND THEORY AND THE FORMULATION OF POLICY IDEAS, DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY ALTERNATIVES, POLICY DECISIONMAKING, POLICY SPECIFICATION, FIELD IMPLEMENTATION, AND OPERATIONS. CORRESPONDING STAGES FOR THE EXPERIMENTATION PROCESS ARE SEARCH FOR INFORMATION AND THEORY, DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESES, DECISIONMAKING REGARDING EXPERIMENTAL HYPOTHESES, EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND SPECIFICATION, FIELD IMPLEMENTATION, AND OPERATIONS. IF IMPLEMENTATION ANALYSIS IS TO BE OF ANY VALUE, IT MUST BE PERFORMED BEFORE A DECISION IS MADE AND ITS RESULTS MUST BE AVAILABLE AT THE TIME POLICY OR EXPERIMENTAL RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE. FOUR OVERLAPPING SETS OF ISSUES ARE INVOLVED IN IMPLEMENTATION ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT: (1) THEORY, SPECIFICATION, AND IMPLEMENTATION; (2) PROGRAMMATIC OBJECTIVES; (3) DETAILED PACKAGING OF PROGRAMS VERSUS BROAD DIRECTIONAL GUIDES; AND (4) IMPLEMENTATION SUCCESS. IMPLEMENTATION IS PRIMARILY A BUREAUCRATIC AND POLITICAL PROBLEM. BUREAUCRATIC AND POLITICAL FACTORS RATHER THAN CONVENTIONAL TECHNICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS PER SE REPRESENT THE MAIN NEAR-TERM DETERRENTS TO MORE EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION. AT THE HEART OF THE ISSUE OF IMPLEMENTATION CAPABILITY IS THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY. THE ASSESSMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION CAPABILITY SEEMS TO BE INTEGRAL TO POLICY ANALYSIS AND DECISIONMAKING. WHEN CONSIDERING MAJOR PROGRAM INNOVATIONS, DECISIONMAKERS IN SOCIAL AGENCIES SHOULD HAVE AVAILABLE EX ANTE ANALYSES ADDRESSING THE LIKELIHOOD THAT AN INNOVATION WILL PRODUCE POSITIVE OUTCOMES, WILL BE ACCEPTED BY HIGH-LEVEL DECISIONMAKERS, CAN BE PUT IN PLACE PROPERLY WITH AVAILABLE RESOURCES, AND WILL BE ACCEPTED BY THOSE IN THE FIELD WHO MUST EITHER IMPLEMENT OR OPERATE THE INNOVATION. IMPLEMENTATION ANALYSIS SHOULD INVESTIGATE THE TECHNICAL CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT, POLITICAL FEASIBILITY, AND TECHNICAL AND POLITICAL STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION. IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENT SHOULD SEEK TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE ACTUAL OUTPUT OF AN ORGANIZATION HAS CHANGED IN THE EXPECTED DIRECTION AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF AN INNOVATION. (DEP)