TRANS-TALK - Thematic Network on Policy and Project Evaluation Methodologies
Overview
Background & policy context:
The TRANS-TALK Thematic Network was set up in January 2000 under the Fifth Framework Programme with the objective to provide a networking platform for those involved in the field of transport evaluation; explore the conceptual and empirical problems in contemporary transport evaluation; and develop guidelines that help improve transport evaluation.
The launch of the TRANS-TALK thematic network reflects the renewed strategic interest in transport evaluation. This has different sources - conceptual, empirical and policy-relevant.
At the conceptual level, it is related to the realisation that the conventional methods for evaluation that apply to infrastructure appraisal, like cost-benefit analysis, are not adequate to address contemporary challenges. At the empirical level, there are the problems of choice among a multitude of methodologies and of measurement and comparison. Finally at the policy-relevant level, there is an intensified demand for evaluation that looks at the (long-term) outcomes of policy rather than alone its (short-term) direct outputs.
Objectives:
The TRANS-TALK Thematic Network had the following objectives:
- To provide a networking platform for those involved in the field of transport evaluation from either the demand or supply sides;
- To explore the conceptual and empirical problems in contemporary transport evaluation;
- To develop guidelines that help improve transport evaluation in providing a preliminary framework for the integration of different policy and project evaluation methodologies, thus setting standards in the field.
Methodology:
As a thematic network, the work programme of TRANS-TALK was implemented through three workshops and supporting activities that included literature reviews as input to the setting of the workshop agendas, the publication of the conference proceedings, the writing up of synthesis reports to summarise the conclusions and main recommendations deriving from each workshop, and a survey among transport RTD projects to obtain feedback on the themes of the thematic network and for setting up a Virtual Library.
The three workshops organised in the framework of TRANS-TALK were:
- WS1: Policy and Project Evaluation: Context, Theory and Methods (29-31 May 2000)
- WS2: Projects, Programmes, Policies: Evaluation Needs and Capabilities (6-8 November 2000)
- WS3: Improving Evaluation Practices in Transport: Towards a Better Integration of Technical and Political Perspectives (30 May to 1 June 2001)
All workshops were organised in Brussels.
A selection of the papers presented at the series of TRANS-TALK workshops were published in the two TRANS-TALK book publications with the Ashgate Publishing House (Giorgi et al., eds., 2002; Pearman et al., eds., 2003).
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