ABSTRACT

Environmental communication and policy formation must address complex challenges as society faces unprecedented environmental issues. Program evaluation is one method for mobilizing support for new policies; however, evaluation often does not focus on the intended users thereby decreasing the value of evaluation findings. A utilization-focused approach increases evaluation effectiveness for intended users by highlighting the cultural contexts where findings will be implemented. Utilization-focused evaluation prioritizes the use of findings by working with intended users of the evaluation through all stages of the evaluation to promote the use of evaluation findings that are often overlooked when implementing environmental policy. From a utilization-focused approach, communication is the vital connection between evaluation and evidence-based environmental policy-making. This review article offers practice-based recommendations for the intersection of utilization-focused evaluation, environmental policy, and environmental communication to promote increased use of evidence-based findings to inform policy within a highly politicized environment.

摘要

随着社会面临前所未有的环境问题，环境沟通和政策制定必须应对复杂的挑战。项目评估是动员对新政策的支持的一种方法；然而，评估往往不关注目标用户，从而降低了评估结果的价值。以利用为中心的方法通过突出将实施调查结果的文化背景来提高对目标用户的评估有效性。以利用为重点的评估通过在评估的所有阶段与评估的预期用户合作来优先使用结果，以促进使用在实施环境政策时经常被忽视的评估结果。从以利用率为中心的方法，沟通是评估与循证环境决策之间的重要联系。这篇评论文章为以利用为重点的评估、环境政策和环境交流的交叉点提供了基于实践的建议，以促进更多地使用基于证据的发现来为高度政治化的环境中的政策提供信息。