Multi Outcome Construction Policy (final report)

MethodologyThe study was organised into 2 key parts: Part A: Employment and Training Policies; andPart B: Percent-for-Art Policies. This division reflected, first, the nature of available dataand, thus, the suitability of different methodologies. Quantitative information wasavailable to inform the study of the impacts of the training policies, but could not bereasonably applied to the other policies. The policies are also distinct in terms of theirintent and application, and this also recommended the adoption of different approaches tothe literature reviews, data collection and data analysis. Finally, the members of theproject team have distinct disciplinary backgrounds. Austen and Seymour are laboureconomists who brought to the project their knowledge of economic theories andapproaches. Brown, Furneaux and McCabe are management academics whose expertiselies in management theories and methods. The multi-disciplinary approach required bythe availability and type of empirical data within the project thus aligned with the skillsand backgrounds of the team.Key Project StagesStage 1: Policy SummariesIn the commencement part of the study all the relevant policy documents were accessedand summarised. This provided important background information on the intent, scopeand administrative requirements of the various policies, helping inform the design ofproject’s investigation of costs and benefits. The summaries of the policies are outlined inthe next section.Stage 2: Literature Review (Development of theoretical frameworks and identification ofcomparative approaches)Across the different parts of the study, the early stages of the project also featured acomprehensive literature review. This served the function of informing the study team ofappropriate theoretical frameworks for the investigation of each policy type. Very briefly,5