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AbstractIntroducing systems thinking concepts in the programme evaluation field has been mostly aimed at supporting the practice of evaluation, rather than towards making theoretical advancements in the evaluation field. This paper introduces ideas and principles from systems thinking at the theoretical and practical levels in the programme evaluation field as applied to a peace‐building programme called the Hermes Programme in Colombia. This document demonstrates how systems thinking concepts and tools were used in the practice of evaluation. We show the theoretical development of the proposed evaluation and explain how its stages were carried out in evaluating the Hermes Programme. This paper also illustrates the benefits of using systems thinking in evaluation.

There is a developing debate in GB concerning the need for more scrutiny of the effectiveness of public policies. Although British parliamentary reports have emphasized the need for program evaluation, these proposals have been resisted by the government; however, there is increased emphasis on internal reviews. Evidence from a series of interviews (N not given) indicates that the Swedish example may provide many useful lessons for GB; the main Swedish evaluation agencies are described & assessed. It appears that their evaluations have little impact without sufficient political support; impact is therefore linked to changes in Swedish policy. Despite its problems, however, the Swedish evaluation system has considerable potential, particularly in a resource squeeze situation, when effective auditing can achieve more rational use of reduced public funding. In Sweden, the climate appears to be improving for evaluation agencies, but in GB, the struggle between Parliament & government continues. Modified AA.

This paper reviews the main identification and estimation strategies for microeconomic policy evaluation. Particular emphasis is laid on evaluating policies consisting of multiple programmes, which is of high relevance in practice. For example, active labour market policies may consist of different training programmes, employment programmes and wage subsidies. Similarly, sickness rehabilitation policies often offer different vocational as well as non-vocational rehabilitation measures. First, the main identification strategies (control-forconfounding-variables, difference-in difference, instrumental-variable, and regressiondiscontinuity identification) are discussed in the multiple-programme setting. Thereafter, the different nonparametric matching and weighting estimators of the average treatment effects and their properties are examined.

Policy evaluation and programme choice are important tools for informed decision-making, for the administration of active labour market programmes, training programmes, tuition subsidies, rehabilitation programmes etc. Whereas the evaluation of programmes and policies is mainly concerned with an overall assessment of impact, benefits and costs, programme choice considers an optimal allocation of individuals to the programmes. This book surveys potential evaluation strategies for policies with multiple programmes and discusses evaluation and treatment choice in a coherent framework. Recommendations for choosing appropriate evaluation estimators are derived. Furthermore, a semiparametric estimator of optimal treatment choice is developed to assist in the optimal allocation of participants