Evaluation of Public Benefits Programs: A Review of the NYSERDA Experience to Date

Paul DeCotis and Patricia Gonzales, New York State Research and Development Authority
Jane S. Peters, Research Into Action, Inc.
Sharon Baggett, Sharon A. Baggett Associates
Luisa Freeman, PA Consulting

Keywords

Abstract

The New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) administers the New York Energy $mart^SM public benefits programs for the State of New York. In 2005, at the close of the second year of formal monitoring and evaluation reporting, NYSERDA requested that its process evaluation contractor conduct a systematic review of the evaluation
process itself to understand the degree to which program staff have acted upon the recommendations from evaluators, their reasons for action/inaction, their view of the evaluation
process itself and its usefulness to them for attaining program improvements. Also important to management was to assess the extent to which the evaluation function is integrated into program design and implementation, and how the evaluation process is perceived by NYSERDA program staffs and stakeholders. The process evaluation contractor conducted interviews with 30 NYSERDA program and evaluation staff members and identified recommendations for improving the evaluation process.