Evaluate This

This limited series is sponsored by Digital Science.

Sarah Parks hosts Professor Kathryn Oliver explore what happens between producing evidence and seeing it used in policy and practice.

They discuss what evidence use really looks like, why producing good evidence is only part of the picture, and the importance of relationships, organisational context and understanding how decisions are actually made.

The conversation explores the growth of knowledge exchange initiatives designed to bridge the gap between research and policy, including fellowships and secondments, and asks what we know about whether they work and what they are intended to achieve.

The episode closes by considering the role of evaluators in moving evidence into action, including the tensions that can arise when findings are challenging, what proportionate evaluation looks like, and the wider opportunity to strengthen evaluation capability across government.

All episodes of the podcast can be found at: https://evaluatethis.riverside.com/.

For more information about the work of the UK Evaluation Society: https://evaluation.org.uk/.

Co-produced with Swanky Creative: www.swankycreative.co.uk.

Hosted on Riverside. See https://riverside.com/ for more information.

This limited series is sponsored by Digital Science.

In this episode, Dr. Jessica Ozan interviews Dr. Facundo Herrera about his PhD research on the causal links between education and mental health, focusing on ethnic minorities in the UK. They explore impact evaluation methods, policy implications, and future research directions.

keywords education, mental health, impact evaluation, causation, ethnic minorities, UK, policy, PhD research

key topics

• Causation vs correlation in education and mental health
• Impact of extended schooling (1972 Rosla reform)
• Methodology: Regression Discontinuity Design and local randomization
• Findings on ethnic minorities and mental health
• Policy implications for education and health equity

Guest name

Dr. Facundo Herrera

This limited podcast series is sponsored by Digital Science.

Titles

• Does More Education Improve Mental Health for Ethnic Minorities?
• Causal Links Between Education and Mental Health Explored

Sound Bites

• "The causal effect of extra schooling on mental health vanished."
• "Focus on what the years of education contain, not just the years."

Chapters

00:00Introduction to the podcast and guest

01:20Guest introduction and background

02:16Motivation for research on education, health, and inequalities

03:44The link between education and mental health

06:09Exploiting the 1972 Rosla reform for causal analysis

08:33Methodology: Regression Discontinuity and data analysis

11:29Findings: No causal effect of additional schooling on mental health

14:45Ethnic minorities and different experiences in education

17:13Implications for education policy and mental health

20:06Broader implications for interventions beyond schools

21:33Future research directions and closing remarks

• Understanding Society Survey
• Social Science & Medicine - Mental Health Study
• UK Evaluation Society
• Digital Science

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Co-produced with Swanky Creative: www.swankycreative.co.uk.

This limited series is sponsored by Digital Science.

What are the considerations evaluators need to give capturing marginalised and minoritised communities’ lives and experiences within data sets?

Dr Fiona Larner hosts Dr Kevin Guyan, Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh and Director of the Gender + Sexuality Data Lab, to discuss his work exploring the intersection of data and identity.

You can find more information about the Evaluation Society’s 2026 conference at: https://evaluation.org.uk/community-learning/evaluation-conference/.

Kevin’s latest book, Rainbow Trap: Queer Lives, Classifications and the Dangers of Inclusion (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025) will be available to buy in paperback from 1 June 2026.

Rainbow Trap reveals how the fight for LGBTQ equalities in the UK is shaped – and constrained – by the classifications we encounter every day. From the recording of hate crimes to the evaluation of diversity programmes, Rainbow Trap documents how inclusive interventions – such as new legislation, calls for ‘more data’ and tech fixes – have attempted to bring historically marginalised communities out of the shadows.

Yet, as part of the bargain, LGBTQ people need to locate themselves in an ever-growing list of classifications, categories and labels to ‘make sense’ to the very systems they are seeking to access. Buy via Bloomsbury Publishing here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/rainbow-trap-9781350631632/.

Both of Kevin’s books, Rainbow Trip (2025) and Queer Data (2022) are available as audiobooks via Audible and most other audiobook platforms.

Kevin’s recommended reading list includes:

-    D’Ignazio, C. and Klein, L.F. (2020) Data Feminism.The MIT Press. (Open access)

-    Benjamin, R. (2019) Race After Technology. Polity.

-    McGlotten, S. (2016) Black Data. Duke University Press.

View Episode 1 transcript: https://evaluation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/EvalSoc_Pod_Ep1_Transcript.pdf

All episodes of the podcast can be found at: https://evaluatethis.riverside.com/.

For more information about the work of the Evaluation Society: https://evaluation.org.uk/.

Co-produced with Swanky Creative: www.swankycreative.co.uk.

Hosted on Riverside. See https://riverside.com/ for more information.