“Improvement focused” evaluation of place-based initiatives: An approach to examining three methodologies
| Author | Lauren Heery,Lucio Naccarella,Rosemary McKenzie |
| Published date | 01 June 2018 |
| Date | 01 June 2018 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X18780758 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X18780758
Evaluation Journal of Australasia
2018, Vol. 18(2) 99 –108
© The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1035719X18780758
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“Improvement focused”
evaluation of place-based
initiatives: An approach
to examining three
methodologies
Lauren Heery
Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Australia
Lucio Naccarella
Centre for Health Policy, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of
Melbourne, Australia
Rosemary McKenzie
Centre for Health Policy, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of
Melbourne, Australia
Abstract
Place-based initiatives offer a comprehensive, whole-of-community approach to solving
complex problems. Impact evaluation of complex initiatives is challenging and alternative
“improvement focused” methodologies, such as developmental evaluation, action
research, and quality improvement, are being used. Limited understanding exists about
how these methodologies work when used in place-based initiatives, which contexts
they are individually best suited to, and what they can achieve. This article outlines an
approach to examining the application of developmental evaluation, action research,
and quality improvement to the evaluation of place-based initiatives. The approach
used a realist evaluation methodology and involved a literature review and three
“instrumental” case studies. The approach described in this article can support others
to design and undertake their own research to inform decision making around the most
suitable methodologies in the emerging field of place-based initiative evaluation.
Keywords
place-based, collective impact, developmental evaluation, action research, quality
improvement
Corresponding author:
Lauren Heery, Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Flemington
Road, Parkville Victoria 3052, Australia.
Email: lauren.heery@mcri.edu.au
780758EVJ0010.1177/1035719X18780758Evaluation Journal of AustralasiaHeery et al.
research-article2018
Article
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