Editing Policy analysis (section)

===Rapid evaluation and assessment methods===
There is sometimes a need for policy assessment to be conducted at speed, using rapid evaluation and assessment methods (REAM).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McNall |first1=Miles |last2=Foster-Fishman |first2=Penny G. |date=June 2007 |title=Methods of Rapid Evaluation, Assessment, and Appraisal |journal=American Journal of Evaluation |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=151–168 |doi=10.1177/1098214007300895|s2cid=2699534 }}</ref>

Characteristics of REAM include setting clear and targeted objectives at the start of a policy cycle, participation and interdisciplinary teamwork, simultaneous collection and analysis of data, and the staged reporting of findings. These require front-loaded effort: consulting with funders and achieving buy-in from informants who will face competing demands during implementation phases. They also blur the distinction between evaluation and implementation, as interim findings are used to adapt and improve processes.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brusset |first1=Emery |last2=Cosgrave |first2=John |last3=MacDonald |first3=Wayne |title=Real-time evaluation in humanitarian emergencies |journal=New Directions for Evaluation |issue=126 |date=Summer 2010 |volume=2010 |pages=9–20 |doi=10.1002/ev.326|s2cid=144295552 }}</ref>

Rapid methods can be used when there is a short [[policy cycle]]. For instance, they are often used in international development to assess the impact of aid policies in response to natural disasters. It has been suggested that rapid assessment methods may be necessary to evaluate energy and climate policies in the context of the climate emergency.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hampton |first1=Sam |last2=Fawcett |first2=Tina |last3=Rosenow |first3=Jan |last4=Michaelis |first4=Charles |last5=Mayne |first5=Ruth |date=17 February 2021 |title=Evaluation in an Emergency: Assessing Transformative Energy Policy Amidst the Climate Crisis |journal=[[Joule (journal)|Joule]] |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=285–289 |publisher=[[Cell Press]] |doi=10.1016/j.joule.2020.12.019|bibcode=2021Joule...5..285H |s2cid=233951003 |url=https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8c4bca8f-9312-4382-9db1-bc88e1ace890 }}</ref>