Measuring the value of engagement

Involve and Consumer Focus have launched a publication examining how practitioners can measure the value of engagement. This area of work is crucial for dialogue and engagement, and a key focus for Sciencewise-ERC. The Sciencewise-ERC report, ‘Evidence Counts’, highlighted that, while evaluations on public dialogue exercises are increasingly common, calculating the economic value of dialogue projects remains an underdeveloped area. The Involve and Consumer Focus report includes a toolkit that offers practical advice on how those who commission, design, deliver or evaluate engagement exercises can translate these activities into monetary value.

There are some who may worry that the focus on the economics of dialogue could result in dialogues run purely for their potential to save money in the longer term. Over the past decades, there has been a growing enthusiasm for dialogue and participation, and with it a sense that in a democracy it is the ‘right thing to do’. However, in this financial climate, practitioners are aware that dialogue is being considered alongside many other important needs by organisations and Government departments with increasingly limited budgets. Demonstrating that dialogue and engagement can not only save money in the longer term, but also have a positive impact on some other indicators, such as wellbeing, community cohesion and even a reduction in crime, will bolster the case. This is particularly the case when upfront costs for a dialogue project may seem high, though as publication examining how practitioners can measure the value of engagement, the costs of not engaging can be much higher. Proper economic evaluation can also highlight those areas where value for money has not been obtained and lessons can be learnt.