The Handbook of Public Sector Communication

28New Developments in Best Practice Evaluation: Approaches, Frameworks, Models, and Methods

Jim Macnamara

Introduction

While evaluation in some fields of public communication in both the public and private sector has been in “stasis” (Gregory & Watson, 2008) or “deadlock” (Macnamara, 2015) with no consistent standards emerging despite 40 or more years of intensive focus (Likely & Watson, 2013), there have been a number of significant developments and advances recently that warrant close attention by scholars and practitioners. This chapter reviews the “state of play” in evaluation of public sector communication and examines emerging developments and trends that inform the future with a particular focus on applications for public sector communication.

This is particularly relevant now, as public sector organizations come under increasing pressure for accountability and transparency as well as budget restraint—two of the key characteristics of public sector organizations identified by the editors in the introduction. For example, in 2016 the UK government announced 25–30% cuts across most major government departments, including those offering vital public services such as the Department of Health. The incoming government following the controversial decision by the UK to leave the European Community (EU) eased financial restraint somewhat, but maintained a tough stance on government spending and increased demands for accountability to citizens for expenditure. EU countries face ...