Chambers and Wedel Framework

Policy element subtypes and eval criteria for a value critical appraisal of social policies
of programs
designed for social policy, compare with diff evaluative frameworks for economy etc.
Especially welfare programs
Basic policy elements
Missions, goal and objectives
Policy document
What is the purpose?
Forms of benefits and services
Entitlement (Eligibility) Rules
Who is allowed to use it?
For whom are there entitlements?
Administration/Organisational structure for service delivery
What sort of structure is there to deliver the service?
Financing
Who is paying?
Interactions among the foregoing elements
Are the missions and goals in-keeping with the benefits? etc.
Information provided on each element is broken into:
Subtypes
Principles or purpose
What are the underlying principles?
Long or short term
Manifest/latent
What is stated up front?
the narrative
What is unstated?
eg for control, political mileage
pacification
Evaluation criteria
General evaluation criteria:
Goodness of fit with social problem analysis
Implication for adequacy, equity and efficiency
Is it fair? Do some get more than others etc?
Criteria that can only be used for the specific element
Is the response appropriate?
Does it allow for adequacy?
Is it a fair, equitable response?
Is it efficient?
What is efficient?
Socially effective vs financially efficient
How do you evaluate what is efficient?
Evaluation criteria specific to goals and objectives
Not just service delivery but product (outcomes)
Service acquisition
Income
Community development

 Clarity, measurability manipulability

Is the outcome clearly stated?
How do we measure the outcome?
How can we manipulate those outcomes?
Inclusion of performance standards and target specifications
eg. Should the employment rate rise be a certain percent?
Implications of goals and objectives for adequacy, equity and efficiency.
How good is the fit of goals and objectives with the social problem analysis? The
problem definition and variables (consequences) should appear within causal
analysis.
Remember the larger social context
These do not always start with human needs, but instead with what the larger
social context dictates eg. Gaining political mileage with a certain group.
Forms of benefits and services
Subtypes
Personal, social services (expert services)
Eg. therapy
Hard benefits, cash, good commodities
Eg. grants
Positive discrimination
Eg. Affirmative Action
Credits/vouchers
Credit for items
Subsidies
Eg. GATE
Government loan guarantees
Eg. GATE
Protective regulations
enable laws/rules for standards and regulations
protection for vulnerable groups
Supervision of deviance
Eg. Probation
Power over decisions
Choice, usually implemented in court (eg. The choice between Probation vs
Juvenile detention etc)
Evaluative criteria specific to benefits and services
Stigmitisation
Some benefits/services have a stigma
Is there a stigma attached?
Target efficiency
Are these serving the target number?
Are resources going to waste from disuse?
Is it inadequate?
Cost-effectiveness
Is this a costing a fair amount of money?
Substitutability
Can other things be substituted?
Consumer sovereignty
Can the consumer decide?

 Trade offs
Coerciveness/intrusiveness
To what extent is there interference?
Complexity and cost of administration
Is the administration complex?
How much does it cost?
Adaptability across users
Is it more trouble than it is worth?
Can it be adapted?
Political risk
What is the political fallout/benefit?
Eligibility Rules

Means/asset tests
Administrative rule
Private contract provision
Prior contributions
Professional discretion
Judicial decision
Attachment to the workforce

Evaluation criteria specific to eligibility rules

Over/under utalisation
Overwhelming costs
Stigma/Alienation
Disincentive for work
Incentive for procreational and marital breakup or generational dependence
How does eligibility operate?
Has it become an incentive to break up families?
An incentive for children to never become independent so they can access welfare?

Administrative and Service Delivery

Centralisation
Federation
Case Management
Referral Agency
Indigenous worker staffing
Racially oriented agencies
Administrative fair hearing
Ombudsman
Due process protections for clients' procedural rights
Citizen participation
Evaluation criteria specific to administration/Service delivery/program design

Has an articulate program/policy design

Integration continuity
Accessibility
Accountability

 Client consumer empowerment

Consumer participation in decision making
Coping with racial, gender and ethnic diversity
Financing

Prepayment of insurance
Publicly regulated private contracts
Voluntary contributions
Tax rev appropriation
Fee for service
Private endowment

We can add in the Caribbean context: Is there international or local funding?

Evaluation criteria specific to financing
Continuity in funding
Stability in broad economic change; inflation/depression and demographic change
Interactions

Co-entitlement
Disentitlement
Contrary effects
Unintentional duplication