Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies hold Policy and Program Evaluation workshop

Under the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS), a college of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, the Public Policy in Islam Programme recently held a ‘Policy and Program Evaluation’ workshop. The three-day workshop took place at the LAS building within Education City last week and was attended by 31 participants.

The workshop concentrated on the key steps in evaluation and introduced participants to logic models, needs assessments and determining evaluation measures, and designing methods and data collection. Participants worked on a number of case studies, individually and collaboratively analysing several case study programs executed in Qatar, Gulf region and internationally. The workshop then concluded with participants displaying and discussing their presentations.

The workshop was presented by Dr Leslie Pal, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy and Administration, and co-Director of the Centre on Governance and Public Management at Carleton University. Active internationally for several years, Professor Pal has worked with the Civil Service Training and Development Institute of the Government of Hong Kong, training senior civil servants. He has also worked on public sector reform projects in Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, and Georgia. He was a Senior Teaching Fellow with the International Policy Fellows programme of the Open Society Institute in Budapest, Hungary, and now teaches in affiliated programmes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mongolia. He also occasionally teaches on the Master’s Program of Arts in Public Policy in Islam at the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies in Doha.

The workshop is aimed at executive trainees and teaches them how to effectively measure the expected outcomes of their organisation, whether it is public, private or non-profit sector, present in Qatar, in the Gulf or internationally. It guides participants on the best way to test the effectiveness and efficiency of the programs during its execution phase and after, and if the program could fulfil its strategic objectives or not.

Dr Pal described program evaluation as the systematic assessment of the operations and/or outcomes of a program or policy, and the systematic collection of information about the activities, characteristics, and outcomes of programs in order to improve program effectiveness. Dr Pal highlighted how it is the systematic investigation to ensure effectiveness of social intervention programs, in addition to the systematic gathering, analysing, and reporting of information about a program or service.

During the workshop, Dr Pal explained four types of evaluation: Effectiveness evaluation that measures the strategic impact of the program, efficiency evaluation that is based on cost-benefit analysis, process evaluation that studies if procedures and processes follow a logical trend and are well aligned with formal requirements, and finally, utility evaluation that measures performance in terms of perception.

During the closing ceremony, Dr Evren Tok, Coordinator of the Public Policy in Islam Program at QFIS, highlighted the importance of the tools, techniques and information necessary for effective program management and evaluation within Islamic framework.

The Master’s of Arts in Public Policy in Islam is a multidisciplinary programme that is designed to respond to contemporary social and economic challenges from an Islamic-based perspective. Its primary aim is to contribute to the scholarly study and application of Islam to public policy and related issues including democracy, poverty, finance, human resources, environment and public management among other issues. The programme is committed to fostering a progressive cadre of leaders, capable and willing to govern in accordance with the noble values and ethics of Islam; promoting social and economic development; and enhancing the quality of life of all citizens, regardless of race or creed.