CEP to measure the societal impact of network activities

WRc and CEP commissioned to measure the societal impact of network activities

WRc, in partnership with CEP, have been contracted by the Energy Innovation Centre, a group of  gas distribution networks, to measure the societal impact of network activities.

Co-ordinated by the Energy Innovation Centre, Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) and water and wastewater companies have commissioned this work to address the current lack of a framework for evaluating the societal impact of network activities. Network activities can include a range of activities from preventative maintenance to remediation work.

The objective of this project is to determine mechanisms, tools or techniques allowing the quantitative assessment of societal impacts caused prior to, during, and following network activities.

This project has the potential to bring about a step-change in understanding network operators' impacts on local populations and other stakeholders.

Dr Clare-Twigger Ross is CEP's project manager for this work.

CEP leading workshop on the implications of global megatrends in the Western Balkans

Photo credit: 'Belgrade bridges' by mcveja on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

CEP leading workshop in exploring the implications of global megatrends in the Western Balkans

CEP is leading a workshop on the “Implications of global megatrends in the Western Balkans region: Assessment of risks and opportunities, policy links and gaps” which will be held on 7-8 September 2017 in Belgrade, Serbia. This workshop is the second of two regional workshops held as part of the project Water Use in the Western Balkans: regional outlooks and global megatrends which is being delivered by CEP in collaboration with the European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine Waters for the European Environment Agency.

The workshop will bring together regional experts to discuss risks and opportunities for the region and Western Balkans countries arising from global megatrend implications identified through the project scoping workshop held in April 2017.

This workshop will generate the following outcomes:

• A list of potential risks and opportunities each global megatrend implication presents for the region.
• An initial assessment of the likelihood of potential risks and opportunities, their extent and time-frames.
• Identifying existing policies or strategies that relate to the risks or opportunities, and any new policies or changes needed for managing risks and maximising opportunities.

For further information contact CEP's Project Manager Owen White.

CEP ran workshop on global megatrends and the Western Balkans

Photo credit: 'Ljubljana' by Miran Hojnik on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

CEP delivered workshop in Slovenia exploring the implications of global megatrends for the Western Balkans

CEP led an expert workshop in Ljubljana, Slovenia on 10/11 April 2017, as part of the project Water Use in the Western Balkans: regional outlooks and global megatrends undertaken for the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The workshop brought together 21 regional experts and stakeholders in a scoping exercise intended to identify and prioritise the implications of global megatrends (GMTs) for the Western Balkans region related to the water-food-energy nexus. The implications identified were assessed in terms of the likelihood of their occurrence, the magnitude of their effect and the timescale over which they may occur.

The outputs of this workshop will inform a second regional workshop to be held as part of this project that will focus on the risks and opportunities for the Western Balkans region arising from the GMT implications identified and any existing policy gaps and needs.

CEP is leading the work related to global megatrends, adapting and implementing a method toolkit previously developed (by CEP) for the European Environment Agency.

Learning lessons for evaluating complexity across the nexus

CECAN (the Centre for Evaluation of Complexity across the Nexus, based at the University of Surrey, has published the final report of CEP's meta-evaluation study of 23 selected evaluation projects we have undertaken relating to Nexus issues – water, environment, food, energy - over the last 10 years.  

The full report  - Learning lessons for evaluating complexity across the nexus: a meta-evaluation of CEP projects - is available here.

We evaluated the evaluation approaches and findings from a range of case studies – national and EU policy level down to programme level policy interventions and other initiatives – and sought to address three aims:
1.    To learn the lessons from past policy evaluations; 
2.    To understand the factors that support or inhibit (barriers or enablers to) successful evaluations: and
3.    To explore the value of different types of approaches and methods used for evaluating complexity

An important finding was the extent to which the contexts for evaluations at the EU level and UK levels differ: a very strong policy cycle exists for EU evaluations, which creates a more rigid framework for monitoring and evaluation, compared to the much greater degree of policy flux in the UK, and the resulting need for greater flexibility in the way in which evaluations are undertaken, and hence the greater utility of qualitative data collection and analysis methods.

Consequently the use or influence of evaluations in policy making differs considerably – there is much more instrumental (direct) use of EU evaluations compared to more conceptual or process (indirect) use of UK evaluations.

For further information contact Dr Bill Sheate or Dr Clare Twigger-Ross 

The key findings from the study are summarised in the infographic below:

CECAN official launch event and workshop

Photo credit:'knot' by Lindsey Turner on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

CECAN official launch event and 2-day Complexity in Evaluation Workshop

The 'Centre for the Evaluation of Complexity Across the Nexus' (CECAN), a £3 million research centre hosted by the University of Surrey, is being officially launched at the CECAN Event: Policy Evaluation for A Complex World, taking place on 13th September in London. A panel discussion will encourage debate on the Nexus policy areas at the heart of the Centre's work, and raise critical questions around complexity, evaluation methodologies, and 'what works in practice'. CEP will attend as part of CECAN's coalition of experts and leading UK bodies who will be developing new ways to measure the effectiveness of domestic policies across the energy, environment, water and food Nexus.

Following the launch event, on the 15th & 16th September, a 2 Day Residential 'Complexity in Evaluation' Workshop will take place in Surrey. The workshop will combine participatory design and collaborative problem solving with information and ideas exchange between CECAN and partners. Dr Clare Twigger-Ross and Dr Bill Sheate from CEP will be attending the workshop.

For more information and to sign up to the events please see CECAN's event webpage.

CEP PART OF THE PROJECT TEAM EVALUATING COMPLEXITY ACROSS THE NEXUS

CEP part of project team for the ESRC Centre for the Evaluation of Complexity across the Nexus

CEP is part of the  consortium of leading UK bodies who have initiated a new national research hub to develop new ways to measure the effectiveness of domestic policies on energy, water, environment and food (the ‘nexus’), and how they affect wider society.

The focus of the Centre for the Evaluation of Complexity Across the Nexus (CECAN) is to pioneer, test and promote evaluation approaches and methods across the nexus where complexity (e.g. of the issues and governance) presents a challenge to policy interventions, and so contribute to more effective policy-making.

CEP's Dr Clare Twigger-Ross and Dr Bill Sheate are members of the project team.

For more information see the ESRC press release.

Self-Assessment tools for catchments

Self-Assessment tools developed by CEP for Catchment Based Approach partnerships

CEP has developed a suite of self-assessment tools for catchment based approach (CaBA) partnerships to enable them to quickly assess how well they are performing in terms of recognised milestones and good practice from around the country. The tools were produced as part of a Defra-funded project to evaluate the second phase of the Catchment based Approach. The tools are available on the Catchment Based Approach website.

CEP at Flood and Coast 2016 conference

FLOOD AND COAST 2016

CEP is participating in Flood and Coast 2016: Risk, Resilience and Response in a Changing Climate, a conference which is being held in Telford between 23 – 25 February.

Clare Twigger-Ross is presenting on Developing community resilience to flood risk - the role of flood groups in the session on Working with people and communities at 4 pm on 23rd February.

Paula Or is presenting on How to measure success in building community resilience to flooding - developing frameworks for understanding and evaluating community resilience to flood risk in a UK context in the session on Working with people and communities at 4 pm on 24th February