Policy Workaround Stories Are Valuable Evaluative Indicators
But Should They be Told
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12470795 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Campbell (0000-0003-0525-8150, Department of Human and Community Development, University of California, Davis, CA, USA) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 408-417 |
| Publication date | 2011-04-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Evaluation (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1098-2140 • E-ISSN: 1557-0878 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1098214011405505 |
| OpenAlex | W2027581893 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 13 |
In evaluating local policy implementation, workaround stories—accounts of deliberate efforts to evade, subvert, or even break rules or procedures in order to get the job done—are valuable evaluative indicators. By “backward mapping” ( Elmore, 1979 ) from frequently mentioned workarounds, we can identify flawed elements of policy- or grant-making systems. However, workaround stories captured in confidential interviews pose an ethical dilemma for evaluators. If reported intact, these stories potentially expose their tellers to repercussions from compliance-oriented superiors in the bureaucratic chain of command. But unless these stories—in all their vivid details—are told, it is less likely that those superiors will be motivated to fix the often intricate implementation problems which create the need for workarounds in the first place. We explore options for resolving this dilemma in light of the American Evaluation Association guiding principles and the trade-off between the competing public goods of innovation and accountability
Accountability · Bureaucracy · Business · Compliance (psychology · Computer security · Confidentiality · Dilemma · Internet privacy · Nudge theory · Order (exchange · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Workaround · Computer Science · Evaluation and Performance Assessment · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Psychology · Public Policy and Administration Research · Social Psychology
Junior high school students’ self-confidence during transition to above-grade-level mathematics courses
Use of discretion on the front line of higher education policy reform
Creative Subversion
Public Managers in Integrated Services Collaboratives
The Space in the Rules
Ambiguous workarounds in policy piloting in the NHS
A leap of faith
Employability reforms in Tunisian higher education
The implementation game
Working, Shirking, and Sabotage
New Directions in Education Policy Implementation
Street-Level Bureaucracy
Beyond Charitable Choice
Assessing the Effectiveness of Faith-Based Programs
Strategies for Managing Evaluation Anxiety
Strategies for Managing Evaluation Anxiety
Rethinking Welfare School‐Attendance Policies
Performance Measurement in the Public Sector in England
Backward Mapping
The Method and Theory of Ethnology
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,57 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2024 (13) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |