In the 1960s, policy and program evaluation was used to improve government programs and enhance monitoring. In the 1970s and 1980s, evaluation was redefined as a tool of accountability, via the budgetary process, to assess government performance against standards and objectives. Building Effective Evaluation Capacity draws upon three decades of experience and observation to derive prescriptive lessons.

The book consists of four parts. Part 1 focuses on setting boundaries, scope, structure, and objectives for evaluation. Part 2 links evaluation with other public sector functions such as strategic planning, budgeting, monitoring, and auditing. Part 3 explores the quality, training, and competence of evaluators and how to enhance demand and incentives for evaluation. Finally, part 4 summarizes the implications for developing countries of lessons learned from industrialized nations’ experience. Findings are drawn from the experience of a range of countries and governments rather than being country-specific.

A wealth of illustrative case studies of good practice highlight the book. Rather than proposing a single model for evaluation capacity development, this comparative approach allows readers to apply the findings to their own circumstances. Building Effective Evaluation Capacity will be of interest to public policy specialists, economists, and students of government and comparative politics.

Richard Boyle is senior research officer at the Institute of Public Administration in Dublin, Ireland.

Donald Lemaire is Director, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.