Understanding the Mechanisms and Outcomes of Evaluation Influence Within Population Health Partnerships

Abstract

The importance of evaluation use has led to a large amount of theoretical and empirical study over the past 30 years. Evaluation use, however, is a complex phenomenon that is still not well understood. Indeed, the emergence of the term "evaluation influence" sought to best capture some of these complexities. While the evaluation literature identifies a range of factors that are important for influence, there is a need to develop a stronger evidence base to inform evaluation practice. More specifically, greater attention needs to be given to the impact of a programme’s context on the pathways to evaluation influence. Evaluation occurs across a diversity of contexts and frequently involves partnerships. The health sector in particular has witnessed an increased and continuing trend in partnership approaches. Currently, we know little about evaluation influence within this context. For evaluation to inform partnership decision making and programme improvement, we need to increase our understanding of influence within partnerships. This thesis begins to do this by identifying the mechanisms and outcomes of evaluation influence within population health partnerships. More specifically, this research used a mixed methods approach to identify the type and level of influence experienced by partnerships, as well as the partnership functioning and broader contextual factors that facilitated or hindered influence. The findings highlight the multiple influences of evaluation on partnerships and partnership members. Equally, the research illustrates the complex and reciprocal nature of evaluation influence pathways. More specifically, the mixed methods analysis contributes new knowledge by highlighting the role of partnership functioning and broader contextual factors in evaluation influence. In this respect, the findings identify a number of implications for existing theory and practice.