Support Tools for ESF Evaluation Jeannette Monier DG EMPL - Impact Assessment and Evaluation Unit ESF Evaluation Partnership meeting, Brussels, 12-13 March, 2015

Overview Evaluation Helpdesk run together by DG EMPL and DG REGIO Centre for Research on Impact Evaluation Evaluation competition Thematic networks

1. Evaluation Helpdesk Preparatory Work underway inter alia on structured approach to assessing evaluation plans Helpdesk 2015-2018 and 2019-2022 will provide assessment and summary of Evaluation Plans and later of evaluations Feeding into reports from 2016 onwards to Council and Parliament on performance based on AIRs and MS Evaluations (article 53 CPR)

2. Centre for Research on Impact Evaluation (CRIE) Supports Member States by: Setting up and running Regional Workshops Preparing and carrying out counterfactual impact evaluations Providing methodological support to the pilot projects on counterfactual evaluations http://crie.jrc.ec.europa.eu

3. Evaluation Competition A greater imperative than ever to ensure that every euro of Cohesion Policy resources is spent to the best effect. We want to create an incentive for more good quality evaluations on the effects of Cohesion Policy so that we can accumulate evidence about what works for whom, in what context, and why? And we want to understand better what makes a good evaluation. Background: New, stronger requirements for evaluation in 2014-2020, including more impact evaluations. Great diversity in practice and quality among 721 evaluations of ESF supported interventions carried out between 2007-2013 Limited numbers of evaluations dealing with effects and impact – 5% out of these are for example CIEs

Strand A: Best completed evaluations Scope: Evaluation by any individual or company of the effectiveness of EU Cohesion Policy interventions supported by the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund or the European Social Fund, completed by 31 December 2015 Use at least one of 3 methods: Ex post cost benefit analysis Theory based evaluation Counterfactual evaluation

Strand A: Best completed evaluations Themes: Research and Innovation ICT Enterprise Support Employment, Skills and Social Inclusion Large Infrastructure (e.g., environment, transport) Institutional Capacity Building

Strand B: Best evaluation proposal Proposal for an impact evaluation of Cohesion Policy concentrating on the same themes Evaluation not started Preferably using data in a new way – data on the DG REGIO or EMPL websites or data from a national or regional authority Open to all individuals and participation of young researchers and PhD students is strongly encouraged Prizes: Acknowledgement of excellence by recognised international evaluation experts Invitation to present at a Cohesion Policy Evaluation Conference in May 2016 (expenses paid) Winners: At least the 6 best contributions for each strand But maybe more Selection criteria: Quality of methodology Practical Relevance Jury of international evaluation experts to be established

Conference in 2016 May 2016 – location to be decided Topics: EU Ex post evaluation results Best Evaluations & Evaluation Proposals Best Evaluation Plans Reflection on usefulness of ex ante evaluations Please publicise in your networks…. http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/evaluation/info/eval_effect_competition.pdf

4. Thematic Networks Art 10 of the ESF Regulation 1304/2013 provides that Member States shall implement transnational cooperation in three different ways: on the basis of common themes proposed by the Commission and endorsed by the ESF Committee, whereby Member States benefit from an EU-level platform established and operated by the Commission (common framework) without central coordination (flexible approach) through a combined approach of the above

Key elements of the common framework The identification of common themes The establishment of Thematic Networks The launch of Coordinated Calls The development of tools which will consist of: An EU-level partner-search database A central EU-level website

Common themes We encourage you to start thinking about embedding into the thematic networks how evaluation could support policy in the following areas: Employment Inclusion Youth employment Learning and skills Social economy Governance and Public administration Simplification Partnership