Recommendation of the Council on public policy evaluation

This recommendation on public policy evaluation, created by the OECD, encourages governments to institutionalise public policy evaluation across all government areas.

The document provides details of the recommendation and additional information to support the establishment of robust institutions and practices around public policy evaluation.

Excerpt: The need for a systemic approach to public policy evaluation

"Governments are increasingly confronted with complex policy challenges, declining levels of trust and resource constraints. As a result,  governments are under increased pressure to show that their use of public resources and the decisions they make translate into desired outcomes, and to implement policies that actually improve the well-being of people.

Tackling these challenges requires decision-making informed by robust and credible evidence. By bringing an objective understanding of what works, why, for whom, and under what circumstances, public policy evaluation provides such crucial evidence to decision-makers and citizens. Yet, use of evaluation results often remains fundamentally difficult for governments.

Against this backdrop, the OECD, through the PGC and the SBO, has developed a systemic approach that not only looks at individual evaluative practices, but also at how those can come together to make sure that evaluation becomes part and parcel of the policy-cycle." (OECD, 2022)