Evaluating local economic and employment development : how to assess what works among programmes and policies

OECD member countries dedicate significant resources to policies for local and regional development, yet the outcomes of these policies are poorly understood. Policy evaluation poses conceptual, technical and institutional challenges. But this is particularly so in the case of local development. Data is often inadequate and multiple forms of policy can interact to obscure the effects of individual initiatives. Many external factors can affect the economy of a local area, and positive policy impacts in one location can even cause undesireable effects in another. Furthermore, individuals targeted by policy may move from one locality to another. Such complexities need to be considered when assessing which policies are truly effective and efficient. Evaluating Local Economic and Employment Development is one of the few books to examine best practices in evaluating programmes for local and regional economic and employment development. Appropriate for a non-technical readership, this book contains policy proposals for central and local governments aimed at improving the practice of evaluation, enlarging the evidence base for policy and developing a culture of evaluation.