The summer school will start on Monday, June 17th in Venice with a welcome speech delivered by the President of the Legislative Assembly of the Veneto Region.

For the rest of the week, the days will mostly be organized as follows:

• • In the morning, lecture sessions are held by internationally renowned scholars followed by an interactive discussion on specific topics
  • In the afternoon, there will be workshops during which participants will present their papers and receive feedback from other participants and the professor.

Purpose of the summer school: Evaluation and policy process

The concept of structuring the political process into distinct stages has been a key focus of research, driving theoretical advancements. Presently, there is a commonly accepted framework that delineates the political problem-solving process into agenda setting, policy formulation, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation. This framework is regularly used to outline the chronological progression of political activities. In the realms of global, European, and local governance, there is an increasing recognition of the importance of policy outcomes, impact, and evaluation phases in achieving economic, social, and environmental goals. This growing relevance underscores the need for more sustainable and innovative interventions. Consequently, in policy analysis, due attention and analysis should be given to the evaluation phase and its implications. Exploring various evaluation approaches and theories can contribute to a deeper understanding of political processes and their intended and unintended effects. The summer school provides a methodological reflection on the role of evaluation in the political process, considering both theoretical and empirical perspectives. It aims to elucidate the connections between evaluation and other phases of the policy cycle, offering tools for incorporating evaluation approaches into research design.