Citation

Melkers J, Roessner D. Eval. Program Plann. 1997; 20(1): 57-75.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0149-7189(96)00037-7

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Program evaluation activities in the United States, after a long history of decentralized, uncoordinated activity, have taken a new turn. It is called performance measurement. A portion of this history, and the recent changes, may be explained by characteristics of the political environment. In contrast, Canada has a long history of centralized, coordinated evaluation of its federal programs. In this paper, we identify particular attributes of the Canadian and the, U.S. political systems that we posit are related to each nation's respective evaluation system. Specifically, we address the following factors differentiating the evaluation experience in both countries as being a function of (1) the level of centralization; (2) legislative history; (3) legislative precedent; and (4) political support for evaluation. Using case studies of research and development program evaluations in both countries, we examine the forces at work that shape the design and implementation of evaluation programs. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of recent changes in both systems for their respective evaluation systems and processes.