EVALUATION OF PUBLIC INTERVENTIONS IN A COMPLEX ENVIRONMENT: DEVELOPING GENERALIZABLE KNOWLEDGE FROM CASE STUDIES

Purpose: There is a growing need expressed to view public interventions not only through their effects but also to consider how those effects are produced. The problem is that we live in a complex world which is characterised by feedback loops, adaptation by both- those delivering and those receiving the intervention. Case study approach which has the explanatory power does not necessary have to serve for one-off, discrete evaluation. The aim of this article is to confront the dilemma of developing generalizable knowledge from case study research and on the basis of the extant literature suggest approaches to enhance its external validity to enable the middle-ranged theories formulation. Methodology: To this end , the literature review has been carried out to identify techniques that can be used to enhance external validity of case study, as well as the review of evaluation reports from the Science and Innovation Policy Evaluations Repository (SIPER) to examine the evaluation practice from the point of view of case study utilisation. Findings: Case study approach is in the position to play an instrumental role in evaluation oriented on learning. Context and human agency matter but they are difficult to capture by other approaches such as (quasi-) experimental designs. Although evaluators often resort to case studies, their full potential is not being exploited. Originality/value: The paper makes a contribution in the debate on how to increase the effectiveness of public policy instruments through greater use of case studies. It departs from traditional thinking about evaluation as a way of arriving at universal laws that apply anywhere, anytime. Instead, the significance of middle-range theories for practice is acknowledged.