Economic evaluation and decision-making

“So what skills are likely to be needed by public servants and their managers to match governments’ evolving role in the 21st century?….. the wider policy and regulatory challenges will require strong analytic capabilities, including in evaluating the costs and benefits of different courses of action.” – Gary Banks, former Chair of the Productivity Commission and former Dean of ANZSOG.

Economic evaluation and decision-making will explore the rationale and methodologies for the economic evaluation of programs, regulations and policies in a public sector and NGO context. The program will demonstrate the power of economic evaluation tools, used appropriately, in enabling good decision-making when allocating resources and evaluating alternatives for pricing and delivering public services and programs, and when designing regulations.

Griffith University’s Professor (Emeritus) Ross Guest will lead participants through interactive group discussions and small group breakout sessions where participants will engage with each other through applied learning activities.

This program will explore real case studies and examples of the use of economic evaluation methods in evaluating public sector programs, policies and regulations. These methods include cost-benefit analysis, multi-criteria analysis, socio-economic impact analysis, among others. The examples will be drawn from a range of portfolio areas including the environment, public health, energy, infrastructure, education and housing.

On completion of this course, participants will learn:

• The importance of economic evaluation of government programs, policies and regulations: asking the right questions
• How to ensure that the economic evaluation method is fit for purpose
• When to use a particular tool, such as cost-benefit analysis (CBA), rather than other methods
• How to apply a CBA and other tools in a public sector context, with contemporary applications
• The limitations of CBA compared with other tools of economic evaluation in the public sector

Additionally, participants will:

• Develop the ability and confidence in making the economic case for or against government interventions of various kinds
• Appreciate the strengths and limitations of methods of economic evaluation in the public sector
• Acquire key skills and methods of economic evaluation and economic evaluation more widely
• Develop an appreciation of the economic way of thinking about the use of public resources
• Learn to ask the right questions in assessing the public value of government interventions
• Through an understanding of key economic concepts and methods, build self-confidence in their ability to discuss the economic merits of government activities

This workshop is designed for team leaders through to executives in the public and NGO sectors with no or limited exposure to economic evaluation processes and thinking who are, for example:

• designing new initiatives and programs
• reviewing, approving or assessing new and existing programs
• engaging with agencies, consultancies and processes that use CBA as an input to decision-making
• managing program budgets
• broadly APS 6 to EL2 or equivalent.

Ross Guest is Professor Emeritus of Economics and former Dean (Learning and Teaching) in the Griffith Business School. He is a Principal Fellow with the Higher Education Academy, and an adjunct professor at ANZSOG. He is nationally and internationally recognised as a leader in economics education through, for example, an Australian teaching fellowship and teaching award, and his former editorship of the International Review of Economics Education.

Professor Guest has led similar courses with ANZSOG for many years. He is a nationally and internationally recognised leader in economics education, having received a number of awards and fellowships for learning and teaching in economics.

Dates: TBC

Duration: 2-day workshop, 9am-5pm (AEST)

Location: Online via Zoom

Cost: TBC

ANZSOG Alumni receive a 15% discount.

Every person who completes the Executive Master of Public Administration, Executive Fellows Program, Deputies Leadership Program, Towards Strategic Leadership or an international program becomes part of our alumni. Only one discount is redeemable for each registration.

To enquire about this program, please email ANZSOG’s Engagement Team with the program name as the subject line to engage@anzsog.edu.au or call us on 1300 ANZSOG (1300 269 764).

Read our cancellation, transfer and refund policy.