Improving the quality of deliberative processes
Evaluations of representative deliberative processes do not happen regularly, not least due to the lack of specific guidance for their evaluation. To respond to this need, together with an expert advisory group, the OECD has developed Evaluation Guidelines for Representative Deliberative Processes. They aim to encourage public authorities, organisers, and evaluators to conduct more comprehensive, objective, and comparable evaluations.
These evaluation guidelines establish minimum standards and criteria for the evaluation of representative deliberative processes as a foundation on which more comprehensive evaluations can be built by adding additional criteria according to specific contexts and needs.
The guidelines suggest that independent evaluations are the most comprehensive and reliable way of evaluating a deliberative process.
For smaller and shorter deliberative processes, evaluation in the form of self-reporting by members and/or organisers of a deliberative process can also contribute to the learning process.
Evaluation questionnaires
The guidelines include two questionnaires. One is for members of a representative deliberative process, as part of the evaluation process. The other is for the process organisers. The questionnaires are included in Annex C and D of the guidelines. The questionnaires are available to download as a Word document.
Member questionnaire
Surveying the members of a deliberative process with a standard evaluation questionnaire is a recommended minimum measurement method to evaluate some elements of process design integrity and all elements of the deliberative experience. The evaluation questionnaire should be used to elicit relevant information from members at the end of the process.
Organiser questionnaire
The organiser questionnaire can complement the answers provided by members of the deliberative process and provide insights from the perspective of people who have previously organised deliberative processes and can compare it to their prior experiences. As process organisers and facilitators, they also interact with the commissioning body and have insights into not only the deliberative experience but also the process design. These questions can be used as a questionnaire, or as guidance for a collective self-evaluation and reflection session. If expert witnesses are present in the process, they can also be asked most of these questions.
The 5 Principles of Evaluation
All evaluations are encouraged to follow five principles that can help guide an evaluation and ensure its quality and integrity.
- Evidence based
- Transparent
- Independent
- Constructive
- Accessible
The 3 Step Evaluation Cycle
A comprehensive evaluation comprises three essential steps:
- Evaluation of the process design integrity
- The deliberative experience, and
- The pathways to impact of a deliberative process.
It is hoped that these evaluation guidelines will encourage public authorities, organisers, and evaluators to conduct more comprehensive, objective, and comparable evaluations. This will allow policy makers, observers, and the public to gauge the quality of their representative deliberative processes, learn from experiences, and, ultimately, help them initiate and develop better processes.
Further information
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Further reading
