Policy Analysis & Evaluation Flashcards
7 cards from real CAP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Policy Analysis & Evaluation flashcards as text
The 'attribution problem' in philanthropic evaluation refers to the difficulty of:
Answer: Crediting social change to a specific funder's contribution among many actors
Attribution is challenging when multiple funders, organizations, or societal forces contribute to the same outcome.
In evaluating a charitable policy's equity outcomes, 'disaggregated data' is essential because it:
Answer: Reveals differential impacts across demographic subgroups
Disaggregating data by race, income, gender, or geography exposes whether a policy benefits all groups equally or perpetuates disparities.
A CAP advisor recommends a 'developmental evaluation' approach to a new social innovation fund. This is most appropriate when:
Answer: The initiative is exploratory and the model is still evolving
Developmental evaluation supports learning and adaptation in dynamic, innovative initiatives where the program model is not yet fixed.
Which policy instrument is an example of a 'tax expenditure' in the context of charitable giving?
Answer: Charitable deduction allowed under the federal income tax code
Tax expenditures are revenue the government forgoes through deductions, credits, or exclusions—the charitable deduction is a primary example.
When comparing two philanthropic programs using 'benchmarking,' advisors most commonly compare against:
Answer: The program's own historical performance or sector peers
Benchmarking typically uses historical baselines or comparable peer organizations in the same sector to assess relative performance.
An evaluation that follows the same cohort of beneficiaries over multiple years to measure long-term change is called:
Answer: Longitudinal cohort study
A longitudinal cohort study tracks the same group of individuals over time, capturing sustained or delayed program effects.
Under the Fidelity-Adaptation continuum in implementation science, 'adaptation' is sometimes endorsed by evaluators because:
Answer: Local modifications can increase cultural relevance and adoption without undermining core components
Thoughtful adaptation of non-core program elements for local context can improve fit and sustainability while preserving the active ingredients.