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Must Policy-Makers Choose Between Putting Out Fires and Making Good Policy? Evaluator Observations From "The Belly of the Beast", also known as The Chicago Political Machine
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| Presenter(s):
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| Amarachuku Enyia, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, aenyia@illinois.edu
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| Abstract:
This paper seeks to explore the role of evaluation and evaluative thought in big city policy-making. Chicago’s Mayor’s Office is an example of a constant crisis mode environment that leaves its primary policy-makers little opportunity for evaluative thinking on the policy decisions that directly impact the public. How can policy-makers think more evaluatively about critical social, economic, fiscal and other issues when they are constantly putting out fires and while simultaneously contending with the demands of the Press, a powerful mayor, and the public? Is this ever possible? This paper seeks to utilize works by Thomas Schwandt on evaluative thinking, Jennifer Greene on evaluation and policy-making, Rodney Hopson on contextually relevant evaluation, and others to chart out a path to effectively embedding evaluative thought into policy-making to better serve the public – while still putting out the fires that characterize city government and other high level, fast-paced policy environments.
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Evidence of Impact: Informing Legislators to Improve Decision-making
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| Presenter(s):
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| Sarah Bradford, Kansas State University, sbradford@ksu.edu
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| Valerie York, Kansas State University, vyork@ksu.edu
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| Jan Middendorf, Kansas State University, jmiddend@ksu.edu
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| Janice Cole, Kansas State University, jrc@ksu.edu
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| Abstract:
Our office, the Office of Educational Innovation and Evaluation, serves as evaluator of a statewide broadband network initiative. Evaluation activities include collection of data related to the impact of the network on its four constituencies, including K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, hospitals, and libraries. The office increases the quality of the evaluation by compiling the impact data into legislative packets for use in the legislative session, to assist Kan-ed in securing continued state funding for the initiative. This presentation will discuss the methodologies used and presentation of data to the legislators. These data are tailored to each legislator to present evidence of the impact of the statewide network on constituents in that legislator’s district or region, including network usage statistics, funding and equipment received, and impact statements and stories. The value of using advocacy packets and a website feedback survey to collect impact data will be discussed.
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