Social research

Social researchers at the Welsh Government:

• commission, manage and undertake research projects;
• collect, analyse and interpret data;
• communicate research findings and promote their use;
• are members of the UK-wide Government Social Research (GSR) service and;
• are bound by the  Government Social Research Code.

What do Social Researchers do?

As Government Social Researchers in the Welsh Government, we work closely with policy makers. We provide them with reliable, relevant and timely information which can support the development, delivery and evaluation of policy in Wales. We also work to ensure that policy debate is informed by the most appropriate and up to date evidence available.

As Head of Profession, the Chief Social Research Officer, Dr Steven Marshall, is responsible for the professional leadership and support of all Government Social Researchers in the Welsh Government.

Evaluation

An important part of the work undertaken by Social Researchers in government is evaluation of policies and programmes.

The GSR Magenta Book provides the following definition:

Policy evaluation is a family of research methods that are used to systematically investigate the effectiveness of policies, programmes, projects and other types of social intervention, with the aim of achieving improvement in the social, economic and everyday conditions of people’s lives. Different methods of policy evaluation are used to answer different questions.

The Magenta Book provides a set of guidance notes on how to use the methods of policy evaluation and analysis effectively and, thereby, to generate and use sound evidence at the heart of policy making and implementation.

Some types of evaluation used in the Welsh Government:

Summative evaluation, which is sometimes referred to as impact evaluation, asks questions such as: What impact, if any, does a policy, programme or some other type of government intervention have in terms of specific outcomes for different groups of people? It seeks to provide estimates of the effects of a policy either in terms of what was expected of it at the outset, or compared with some other intervention, or with doing nothing at all (i.e. the counterfactual).

Formative evaluation, asks how, why, and under what conditions does a policy intervention (or a programme, or a project) work, or fail to work? These questions are important in determining the effective development (i.e. formation), implementation and delivery of policies, programmes or projects. Formative evaluation typically seeks information on the contextual factors, mechanisms and processes underlying a policy’s success or failure. This often involves addressing questions such as for whom a policy has worked (or not worked), and why.

Experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation methods provide valid and reliable evidence about the relative effectiveness of a policy intervention compared with other policy interventions, or doing nothing at all (sometimes called the counterfactual). They provide appropriate evidence about questions such as whether a personal adviser service is more, or less, effective in terms of advancing low paid people in the labour market than, for example, providing skills training, or doing nothing at all. The purest form of experimental method is the randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Qualitative evaluation

Qualitative evaluations are designed to study certain issues in depth and detail. Such depth and detail is usually necessary to determine the appropriate questions to ask in an evaluation, and to identify the situational and contextual conditions under which a policy, programme or project works or fails to work. Qualitative methods of evaluation are particularly important for formative evaluation.

For more information on Social Research in the Welsh Government, go to the Social Research Division page in the left hand menu or contact us via the research mailbox.