@article { , title = {Building Collaborative Capacity through `Theories of Change': Early Lessons from the Evaluation of Health Action Zones in England}, abstract = {©, 2002 SAGE Publications (London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi). In the UK a great deal of attention is currently focused on the potential of the `theories of change' approach to evaluating complex public policy interventions. However, there is still relatively little empirical material describing its application. This article discusses the use of `theories of change' in the national evaluation of English Health Action Zones (HAZs). It locates `theories of change' within the wider context of evaluation approaches and assesses its strengths and weaknesses as an evaluation framework. The article then focuses on a key aspect of complex public policy interventions — cross-sector collaboration. Drawing on data about cross-sector partnerships and community involvement from the English HAZ evaluation, the article explores the contribution of `theories of change' towards examining the building of collaborative capacity in HAZs. The article also describes the `co-research' approach being employed within the national HAZ evaluation. It discusses how this approach can complement the use of `theories of change', contribute to managing change within organizations and communities and facilitate more effective use of evaluation within a local health context.}, doi = {10.1177/1358902002008002514}, eissn = {1461-7153}, issn = {1356-3890}, issue = {2}, journal = {Evaluation}, pages = {205-226}, publicationstatus = {Published}, publisher = {SAGE Publications}, url = {https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1081657}, volume = {8}, keyword = {collaborative capacity, community involvement, Health Action Zones, partnership, theories of change}, year = {2002}, author = {Sullivan, Helen and Barnes, Marian and Matka, Elizabeth} }