There is a well-documented interest in how insights from the study of complexity can be applied to policy evaluation. However, important questions remain as to how complexity is understood and used by policy evaluators. We present findings from semi-structured interviews with 30 UK policy evaluators working in food, energy, water and environment policy domains. We explore how they understand, use and approach complexity, and consider the implications for evaluation research and practice. Findings reveal understandings of complexity arising from contextual factors, scale-related issues and perceptions of unpredictability. The evidence indicates terminological and analogical use of complexity and its concepts by policy evaluators, but limited evidence of its literal use. Priorities for the future include framing complexity more pragmatically and as an opportunity not a cost. Communicating this up the policy hierarchy is the key to progressing complexity-appropriate evaluation – this can be enabled by strengthening links between policy evaluation and academic communities.

中文翻译：

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政策评估者如何理解复杂性？

人们对如何将复杂性研究的见解应用于政策评估有充分的兴趣。然而，重要的问题仍然是政策评估者如何理解和使用复杂性。我们展示了对 30 位在食品、能源、水和环境政策领域工作的英国政策评估人员的半结构化访谈结果。我们探索他们如何理解、使用和处理复杂性，并考虑对评估研究和实践的影响。调查结果揭示了对由上下文因素、规模相关问题和不可预测性认知引起的复杂性的理解。证据表明政策评估人员对复杂性及其概念的术语和类比使用，但对其字面使用的证据有限。未来的优先事项包括更务实地构建复杂性，并将其视为机会而不是成本。在政策层级上传达这一点是推进适合复杂性的评估的关键——这可以通过加强政策评估和学术界之间的联系来实现。