EVALUATION AND RESILIENCE
Online Conference
Nearly two years after the onset of the pandemic, which introduced a new global reality in many human activities, the Hellenic Evaluation Society (HES) successfully held its first fully online conference on 11 November 2021, titled "Evaluation and Resilience."
The conference focused on the importance of evaluation for strategic planning to achieve sustainability and resilience. It also highlighted the need for systematic evaluation of interventions linked to European funding and the Recovery and Resilience Fund.
The event was opened by Professor Spyridon Flogaitis from the Faculty of Law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Speakers included the Governor of Attica, Mr. George Patoulis; the Secretary General of Digital Governance and Simplification of Procedures, Mr. Leonidas Christopoulos; the Special Secretary for the Management of Programs of the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund, Mr. George Zervos; the President of the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government (EKDDA), Ms. Paraskevi Dramalioti; and the Special Secretary for the Integrated Information System for Monitoring and Evaluating Government Work, Mr. Panagiotis Alexopoulos, among other distinguished speakers.
Professor Flogaitis emphasised the need for continuous improvement across all areas, noting that the value lies not in public authority but in independent evaluation to support improvement and promote change. Additionally, Mr. Christopoulos highlighted that digital transformation brings significant changes to the implementation of public policies and serves as a pillar of resilience.
At the end of the conference, the HES Annual Awards were announced.
CONFERENCE SESSIONS
The conference program was structured into four thematic sections:
1. Resilience and Development: The Two New Pillars of Modernization and Societal Progress
2. The Role of Evaluation in Strategic Planning for Sustainability and Resilience
3. Strategic Forecasting and Evaluation of Complex Interventions
4. Best Practices in Evaluation
PRESENTATIONS
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
- Spyridon I. Flogaitis, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Athens; Director of the European Public Law Organization
Session 1 – Resilience and Development: The Two New Pillars of Modernization and Societal Progress
- George Patoulis, Governor of Attica: "The Dynamics of Multilevel Governance and Its Contribution to Societal Resilience"
- Leonidas Christopoulos, Secretary General of Digital Governance and Simplification of Procedures: "The Digital Transformation of Public Administration as a Central Pillar of National Recovery"
- George Zervos, Special Secretary for the Management of Programs of the ERDF and Cohesion Fund: "Dimensions of Resilience in ERDF and Cohesion Fund Programs 2021–27: Design and Evaluation"
- Paraskevi Dramalioti, President of EKDDA: "Evaluation of Training as a Tool to Strengthen the Resilience and Development of Public Servants"
Session 2 – The Role of Evaluation in Strategic Planning for Sustainability and Resilience
- Panagiotis Alexopoulos, Special Secretary for the Integrated Information System (IIS) for Monitoring and Evaluating Government Work: "Sustainable Development Goals Through the Lens of a Public Policy Framework"
- Eleni Xanthaki, UCL Professor; Dean, Postgraduate Laws Programs, University of London; Member of the Evaluation Committee for Legislative Quality, Presidency of the Government: "Evaluation of Greek Legislation for Sustainability and Resilience"
- Olga Siskou, Assistant Professor, University of Piraeus (under appointment), Expert at the Organization for Quality Assurance in Health: "Evaluation as a Tool for Improving Quality and Ensuring Sustainability in the Health System"
- Alekos Kritikos, Special Advisor at ELIAMEP, former EU official, former General Secretary in the Ministries of Development and Interior: "The Hidden Dimensions of the Recovery Fund"
Session 3 – Strategic Forecasting and Evaluation of Complex Interventions
- Alexandros Kailis, PhD in International and European Studies, Special Advisor at the Presidency of the Government, former European Commission official: "Integrating Strategic Forecasting in EU Policy-Making"
- Apostolos Papadopoulos, Director of the Institute for Social Research (EKKE), Vice President of EKKE: "Challenges in Evaluating Complex Interventions in the Context of Resilience"
- George Stefanopoulos, Digital Governance Expert in Health Services: "Utilizing Big Data in the Health Sector"
- Christina Deligianni, Public Policy Manager, Institute for Sustainable Development, EPLO/Co-Founder, ESGreece: "ESG: Evaluation Methods"
Session 4 – Best Practices in Evaluation: Announcement of HES Awards
- Award in the category Young Emerging Evaluator 2021: Marina Aivazidi, PhD Candidate, Department of Informatics and Telematics, Harokopio University: "Exploring Primary School Teachers’ Intention to Use E-Learning Tools during the COVID-19 Pandemic" (published in the scientific journal Education Sciences)
- Award in the category Best Applied Integrated Evaluation Methodology: Ministry of Digital Governance & the General Secretariat of Digital Governance and Simplification of Procedures: "Evaluation Methodology of the Digital Transformation Bible 2021–2025"
- Honourable Mention for Best Applied Integrated Evaluation Methodology: Panhellenic Union of Pharmaceutical Industries: "Study on Digital Drug Data"
- Award in the category Optimal Utilisation of Proposed Evaluation Conclusions: Region of Attica: "The Operations Centre Initiative of the Region of Attica and the Athens Medical Association"