Using the Objective Hermeneutics Method in Policy Evaluation

Abstract

At the outset of a policy evaluation, it is often necessary to gather data from the few personnel charged with responsibility for the policy in order to better understand the policy and its objectives. The objective hermeneutics method provides a tool for deriving the maximum benefit from several core text sequences of such interviews. Two examples of interviews with administrative officials are provided: the first on the subject of investment subsidies for winegrowers and the second concerning subsidies for regional marketing initiatives. These are used to illustrate that the objective hermeneutics method reveals important thought structures and patterns of justification underlying policy design, which may prove highly useful in subsequent stages of policy evaluation.