European Social Fund Impact Evaluation: Research Design and Scoping Study

This document summarizes the evaluation of the 2014-2020 European Social Fund (ESF) program in England, which was aimed at promoting employment, social inclusion, and skills development, particularly for disadvantaged groups. A mixed-method approach, including counterfactual impact evaluation (CIE) frameworks, Propensity Score Matching (PSM), Difference-in-Differences (DiD) analysis, and theory-based evaluation, was used to assess the program's effectiveness. The evaluation faced challenges such as data limitations and Brexit-related changes but found positive outcomes in employment, education, and skills development, especially for marginalized groups. It also considered the program's value for money using cost-benefit analysis. The main conclusion was that combining various evaluation methods provides a comprehensive understanding of the program's impact, which is crucial for informing future policy and program design. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: Department for Work and Pensions
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Impact evaluation
• Impact methods: Randomised control trial (RCT)
• RCT methods: No RCT methods listed
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: July 2018

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes