Key points

•  Evaluation is an objective process of understanding how a policy or other intervention was implemented, what effects it had, for whom, how and why.

•  Evaluations need to be tailored to the type of policy being considered, and the types of questions it is hoped to answer. The earlier an evaluation is considered in the policy development cycle, the more likely it will be that the most appropriate type of evaluation can be identified and adopted.

•  Good-quality evaluations generate reliable results which can be used and quoted with confidence. They enable policies to be improved, or can justify reinvestment or resource savings. They can show whether or not policies are delivering as planned and resources being effectively used.

•  Good-quality evaluations can play important roles in setting and delivering on government priorities and objectives, demonstrating accountability, and providing defensible evidence to independent scrutiny processes. They also contribute valuable knowledge to the policy evidence base, feeding into future policy development and occupying a crucial role in the policy cycle.

•  Not evaluating, or evaluating poorly, will mean that policy makers will not be able to provide meaningful evidence in support of any claims they might wish to make about a policy's effectiveness. Any such claims will be effectively unfounded.