The Potential Application of Qualitative Evaluation Methods in European Regional Development: Reflections on the Use of Performance Story Reporting in Australian Natural Resource Management

Vanclay F. The potential application of qualitative evaluation methods in European regional development: reflections on the use of Performance Story Reporting in Australian natural resource management, Regional Studies. This paper argues that qualitative evaluation methods potentially have a useful role in the assessment of regional development projects in Europe. It outlines several evaluation methods used in outcomes assessment, specifically Most Significant Change Technique, Performance Story Reporting and Collaborative Outcomes Reporting. An example of the practical application of these methods in Australia is provided along with a consideration of their applicability in the European context. The paper discusses issues related to the evaluation of rural and regional development programmes and concludes that qualitative evaluation using story-based approaches provides a rigorous way of assessing the performance of projects and programmes.