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AO Groupand Services
Public Policy Evaluation · Government department

Evaluating whether a policy achieved its objectives

Theory-led

Evaluation design

Mixed-method

Evidence base

Outcome-linked

Indicator framework

The challenge

A government department needed to understand whether a policy intervention had achieved its objectives, and to learn what could be improved — in a form rigorous enough to inform future decisions and survive external review.

Our approach
  1. 01Developed a theory of change to make the policy's intended causal mechanism explicit and testable.
  2. 02Designed an evaluation framework with clear, measurable indicators tied to each intended outcome.
  3. 03Combined quantitative outcome analysis with structured evidence review to assess what the policy delivered.
  4. 04Separated firm conclusions from areas where the evidence was suggestive but not definitive.
The outcome

The department gained an honest, well-evidenced account of the policy's effectiveness, with clear lessons for design — and an evaluation that held up to external scrutiny.

Capabilities applied

Public Policy AnalysisQuantitative ResearchImpact Assessment
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