Building Collaborative Capacity through `Theories of Change': Early Lessons from the Evaluation of Health Action Zones in England

Sullivan, Helen; Barnes, Marian; Matka, Elizabeth

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.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2002
• Journal: Evaluation
• Print ISSN: 1356-3890
• Electronic ISSN: 1461-7153
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 205-226
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1358902002008002514
• Keywords: collaborative capacity, community involvement, Health Action Zones, partnership, theories of change
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1081657
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1358902002008002514