Case Studies
The common theme in all our work is helping our clients to make better decisions. There are a number of ways in which our work makes decision-making more effective We help our clients assess whether they are obtaining value for money. We do that by:
- identifying ways that existing information can be used to judge productivity and efficiency (for example, in an anti-malaria programme);
- working as part of a large-scale evaluation (for example, of a national educational initiative);
- training staff in useful techniques (for example, cost benefit analysis).
We advise clients on the collection and use of data. We help them turn data into information. We do this by:
- reviewing options for data collection (for example, on the children’s workforce);
- reviewing the usefulness of existing data (for example, on neighbourhood deprivation);
- helping them to identify what data they need to collect and how to analyse it (for example, labour market information in a rapidly changing economy).
Our research helps to improve decision-making by:
- reviewing the current situation in the light of the experience of others (for example, how the voluntary sector can improve the delivery of social care services);
- understanding the views of stakeholders (for example, considering the potential partners in a new Sector Skills Council);
- reviewing and synthesising current knowledge (for example, on foreign social care workers).