Get the Data ToolBox

Tools for the inquiring mind: Giving value to GBA+ and other forms of qualitative research and analysis

Two days - $580 pp + HST

Overview

Policy analysis, programme design, risk assessment, and performance measurement are essential public sector disciplines. All rely on good data. Yet while we talk about evidence-based analysis, we think less about the effort involved and from where and how to get the evidence in the first place.

The age of international Trumpism, "alternative facts," and the increased binary nature of political discourse - even in Canada - all point towards an increasing schism between the political centre and the periphery. This suggests the need for improved discipline and heightened care in gathering and giving meaning to data.

We will start the workshop with a general rubric for evidence-based decision-making and public involvement, then segue into ideas for improved critical thought. We will examine bias from various vantage points. After that, we will briefly address quantitative analysis before drilling into the core of the workshop which is qualitative research and analysis and the associated tools of interviews and surveys. When it comes to GBA+, we'll look at gender, but also study the value of the + reached through intersectional analysis.

Who will benefit from this workshop

This course is designed for policy analysts and others of the EC-3 to EC-7 levels, or equivalent. Experience in policy analysis is not required. Thus, new recruits or seasoned policy analysts will all benefit from this workshop. It is helpful to have taken the Policy ToolBox in advance of this workshop, but this is not a prerequisite.

What participants learn

• An overview of evidence-based decision-making
• Ownership by design
• The core value of public involvement through "consultations"
• The fit between public involvement and qualitative research
• Parallels between journalism and qualitative research
• Management buy-in for research and the risks of insufficient study
• The fundamentals of research design
• Critical thinking - separating fact from "alternate fact."
• The problems of thinking fast
• Thinking about bias
• Contextualizing quantitative analysis (note: this workshop is pointedly not a deep dive into statistical analysis)
• Introduction to qualitative research and analysis 
• GBA+ in its various forms and implementations
• Diversity analysis
• Interview techniques 
• Survey techniques with emphasis on Likert surveys
• The role of empathy, humanity, and ethics
• Selling the data

Workshop Facilitator

Ian Hornby

To book a workshop

Brattle Street Round Table 450-207 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada . Tel: 613.612.4798 . e-mail: learn@brattlestreet.ca .
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