Activity-based impact model: estimates of SE Network performance 2001-02

Assesses the use of a new model for estimating the impacts of Scottish Enterprise Network’s activities and establishing more accurate benchmarks for the unit cost of assistance through the use of the body of evidence from Scottish Enterprise’s monitoring system (KMIS) on the scale of activity the Network is undertaking.

Applies the model to the Scottish Enterprise Network activities for 2001/02 and discusses the results.

Finds that the introduction of the KMIS measures has added a degree of robustness to the overall estimates, but that how much more accurate this model’s estimates are is very difficult to judge, and that in part this is dependent on the accuracy of KMIS itself. Reports that establishing a definitive relationship between certain KMIS activities and subsequent outputs is not always straightforward as KMIS is a monitoring system and it does not embody functional links between measures of activity and output. Suggests that the approach adopted has made the best use of the available evidence from KMIS.

Recommends that the model be used for the Network as a whole and for a full financial year’s figures as this will improve the robustness of the results. Also calls for: more evaluation research on cluster development, spin-outs and social exclusion interventions; greater emphasis on the statistical robustness of research and evaluations; more research on what might appear credible in terms of reported benefits from different forms of assistance; further work on the re-distribution of benefits (in principle jobs); and some consideration of the time period over which benefits arise.