Being more certain about random assignment in social policy evaluations

Social experiments have been widely utilised in evaluations of social programmes in the US to identify ‘what works’, whilst in the UK their use is more controversial. This paper explores the paradigmatic, technical and practical issues evaluators confront in using randomised experiments to evaluate social policies. Possible remedies to some of these problems are outlined. It is argued that although no evaluation methodology is problem-free, policy makers and researchers should be more confident about the merits of using random assignment, provided it is used in conjunction with other methodologies more suited to understanding why and how interventions work.

Reforming the public sector: personalised activation services in the UK

This paper highlights the degree of flexibility and personalisation in the UK’s welfare to work programmes. The Labour Government’s New Deals as originally designed were meant to provide personalised and tailor-made services and to meet the needs of individuals. The programmes have evolved and become more personalised and promote flexible service delivery. The chapter explores the Personal Adviser model and focuses on the development of New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 Plus. In recent years a number of factors appear to have encouraged the development of more personalised activation services in the UK.