Project

Evaluation of the development companies Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (AWS) and Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft mbH (FFG)

In evaluating the Austrian development companies Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (AWS) and Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft mbH (FFG) the core of the question is whether and to which extent the aims and expectations of the merger of the development companies ten years ago have been met. These aims were (a) reducing the complexity of the organization and content, (b) solving intrinsic problems of coordination, (c) increasing the political controlability with respect to the target groups, (d) improving the prospects of implementing government objectives.

The question demands an approach which does justice to the complexity of the subject under investigation: Organizational change is subject to a number of influencing factors, a contra factual situation cannot be created and organizations often pursue with their actions hidden values and norms. We therefore focus on an approach of a "Theory Based Evaluation", i.e. concentrate on investigating questions such as which factors contribute to an observable change, why and how? This requires working out an understanding of the impact something should have, i.e. a theory of intervention. This makes assumptions and contextual influences explicit in order to be able to examine them with the aid of the methods employed. The evaluation approach is based on the Contribution Analysis as the overarching framework and the Process Tracing as the supporting research method. With the aid of this investigation a ‘contribution story‘ to support an effect is constructed. This is done by a method mix and multiple view approach in order to collect the assessments of different groups of persons of the structural reform, supported by data. The conceptual basis for the analysis of the implementation of the structural reform objectives are taken from different approaches which were tested within the context of past institutional evaluations. In particular these are the principal-agent theory, neo-institutionalism and the corporate culture approach according to Schein.

The evaluation investigates whether and to which extent the aims and expectations of the merger of the development companies ten years ago have been met. These aims were (a) reducing the complexity of the organization and content, (b) solving problems of intrinsic coordination, (c) increasing the political controllability with respect to the target groups, (d) improving the prospects of implementing government objectives.

The evaluation is based on a mix of methods consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches such as literature analyses, analyses of secondary data, staff and target groups surveys, interviews based on narratives and guide lines, focus groups, expert workshops and an international comparison.

Duration

6.2016-5.2017

Clients

  • Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology BMVIT
  • Federal Ministery for Science, Research and Economy, BMWFW, Austria

Partner

  • KMU Forschung Austria