Bridging Evaluation Theory and Practice: The Contributions of John Mayne to Canadian Federal Evaluation

Abstract

This paper provides a thematic review of Mayne’s contributions to Canadian federal evaluation in order to describe his influence on how the function has evolved over the past 40 years. Key themes explored in the paper include Mayne’s influence on the development of a results-based culture in federal departments and agencies, as well as his conceptual grounding of evaluation activities through theory-based evaluation approaches and, most notably, Contribution Analysis. We draw on government publications to link policy directions to Mayne’s work and we provide a prospective view on his continued influence on the function for years to come.