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About the Advocacy & Policy Change Field

The Advocacy and Policy Change (APC) field brings together a wide range of organizations and individuals dedicated to advancing advocacy, shaping policy, and engaging with governmental and non-governmental systems. Evaluators working in this space focus on understanding how advocacy efforts influence policies and practices across critical areas such as public health, human rights, environmental sustainability, and broader social justice movements—spanning international to local contexts.

Unlike traditional program evaluation, which often centers on the direct outcomes of services or interventions, APC evaluation zeroes in on the strategies and dynamics behind policy influence. Because meaningful policy change can take years to materialize, evaluators in this field rely on innovative and adaptive methods to track progress and assess impact along the way. APC evaluators also bring a systems-change perspective, recognizing the complexity of policy landscapes and the ripple effects that changes can create. 

Because it is a nascent and dynamic field, APC can and does draw from a number of disciplines, including systems change, futures/foresight, organizational development, social networks, community organizing and many others. As more funders prioritize advocacy as a tool for addressing entrenched social challenges, the role of APC evaluation has become increasingly vital—providing insights that help refine strategies, amplify impact, and drive lasting change.

Interest Areas

• Methodologies for evaluating within the complexities of the policy environment (e.g., defensive advocacy, power building, systems change, etc.)
• Inter-governmental, international, national (for all countries), state and local advocacy and policy activities
• Specific approaches for discrete advocacy activities (community organizing, media outreach, coalition and network building, lobbying, legal action, research, litigation, etc.)
• Working to help the field be anti-racist and in allyship with our BIPOC evaluation colleagues.

Opportunities for Members

We value collaboration, sharing learnings and improving our field, and so we encourage members to actively participate in all of our programming. The formal ways to engage are below, and if you have other ideas, please reach out to APC TIG leadership. These are great opportunities to share ideas, the latest developments in APC evaluation, or dive into a topic with other APC evaluators.

1. Webinars and Field Conversations: We invite members to present webinars, demonstrations, conference re-plays, cross-TIG programming and more. APC TIG leaders plan this programming based on member demand and also topics that are most relevant given the political landscape. 

2. AEA Annual Conference: APC TIG encourages its members to submit proposals to the AEA Annual Conference and typically has several sessions available at the conference for its members.

3. Blog: Each year, the APC TIG takes over the AEA blog for a week. All members are welcome to submit a blog for consideration.

4. Annual Business Meeting: held leading up to the AEA annual conference, the APC TIG leadership holds its annual business meeting. Look out for an invite.

To find out about upcoming programming, join the APC TIG and subscribe to updates - events are typically shared via the listserv. If you’re already a member, and you’re interested in any of these opportunities (or have other ideas), go to the TIG Leadership page above and contact the APC TIG leaders.

Interested in Joining?

To join the APC TIG, log into your AEA account and update your profile with your TIG preferences. When you join, you will begin receiving emails about upcoming events and other news from APC TIG leaders and members. 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to any of the TIG leaders on the page above.