Analysis and Evaluation of Public Policy: Some Reflections

Abstract

Engaging with senior policymakers can be an unsettling experience anywhere in the world. The more effective among them tend to be extremely well informed and knowledgeable. They understand people’s problems, they are aware of constraints faced by governments and they seem to know the solutions. They appear to have internalised what works, and what does not. An astute political instinct guides them smoothly through the maze of public decision-making. They are able to figure out when to act and when not to. They know that for public policy to be effective and efficient, goal setting should be guided by a long-term vision. They know that the impact is maximised when the focus is on well-defined outcomes, attention is paid to process, and experts and citizens outside the government are widely consulted. And yet, we find that many policy decisions fall short of yielding the best outcomes for people. There are several reasons why this happens. One, public policy has to do with statecraft. Central to statecraft are both policy analysis and political analysis. Public administrators typically find themselves operating in highly complex and fluid, if not volatile, environments. And this makes it extremely difficult for them to separate evidence from speculation, balance economics and emotion and reconcile policy and politics. Two, policymakers are often required to take decisions with very little reliable information, let alone evidence. To illustrate, take the case of violence against children which adversely affects the lives of millions of children across the world (see, for instance, UNICEF, 2014). Violence experienced or even witnessed by children adversely affects the formation of capabilities through both life-course consequences (which include poor educational outcomes, depression, trauma and other behavioural problems) as well as intergenerational impacts. However, the Know Violence in Childhood global learning initiative which is synthesising Article