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Measuring Impact: Quantifying and Qualifying Changes in Policy and Advocacy
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| Presenter(s):
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| Beth Rosen,
Humane Society of the United States,
brosen@humanesociety.org
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| Abstract:
At first glance measuring policy and advocacy seems straightforward because they have quantitative components. But differentiating between high and low impact policy changes, incremental --yet pivotal--steps leading toward such changes (that often take several years to complete), as well as measuring how one’s organization contributes to the enforcement of laws (that is, just getting a law passed is often not enough) are complex. This presentation will look at the path the Humane Society of the United States, a national NGO with a budget exceeding $100 million and more than 400 staff, took to understand how to quantify and qualify its policy and advocacy efforts. The policy measurements focus on laws passed at the state and federal level, the enforcement of existing laws, and both formal and informal alliances with networks of policy enablers. The advocacy measurement discussion encompasses the engagement of grassroots activists and other key stakeholders.
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Challenges in Evaluating Public Health Advocacy Support Systems: The Case of the National Policy and Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity
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| Presenter(s):
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| Todd Rogers,
Public Health Institute,
txrogers@pacbell.net
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| Marice Ashe,
Public Health Institute,
mashe@phlpnet.org
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| Manel Kappagoda,
Public Health Institute,
mkappagoda@phlpnet.org
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| Cheryl Fields Tyler,
Fields Tyler Consulting,
cheryl@fieldstyler.com
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| Abstract:
In 2007, the National Legal & Policy Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN) was initiated as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s significant commitment to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States by 2015. NPLAN is supporting policy innovation and implementation by empowering advocates and decision makers with expert legal technical assistance resources within a collaborative learning environment. The structural design of the Network, and its goals and objectives, were informed by a comprehensive needs assessment of hundreds of stakeholders involved in obesity prevention research, advocacy, and action. This presentation will detail the evaluation plan being implemented to assess the processes and impact of NPLAN, and will review the opportunities and challenges inherent in evaluating complex, multi-level public health advocacy support systems. Special attention will be paid to strategic and methodological decisions that must be made to enhance the rigor and relevance of the evaluation.
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