Improving Governance with Policy Evaluation
Lessons From Country Experiences
Policy evaluation is a critical element of good governance, as it promotes public accountability and contributes to citizens’ trust in government. Evaluation helps ensure that decisions are rooted in trustworthy evidence and deliver desired outcomes. Drawing on the first significant cross-country survey of policy evaluation practices covering 42 countries, this report offers a systemic analysis of the institutionalisation, quality and use of evaluation across countries and looks at how these three dimensions interrelate. The report also covers cross-cutting aspects related to regulatory assessment and performance budgeting. The analysis illustrates the role and functions of key institutions within the executive, such as centres of government and ministries of finance. It also underlines the role of supreme audit institutions.
Preface
In a world marked by fragmentation, growing citizen demand and multiple tipping points, governments are confronted with increasingly complex, interrelated challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented such challenges on an unprecedented scale, obliging governments to quickly develop and roll out bold policy responses and extensive expenditure packages.