M&E can support an evidence-informed policymaking approach by bringing an understanding of how existing policies are performing and if they are effective. As such, strong M&E frameworks can support governments in addressing complex policy challenges by increasing the understanding of policy trade-offs and impacts.
Public policy monitoring and evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) help ensure that decisions are rooted in trustworthy evidence and deliver desired outcomes. They are also a critical element of good governance, as they promote public accountability, transparency, and contribute to citizens’ trust in government. Nevertheless, governments face significant challenges to develop robust and reliable M&E systems and practices, as well as to ensure that the results and evidence of M&E are used to support decision-making processes, including budgetary decisions.
Key messages
Institutionalising M&E across government can help relevant stakeholders understand the impact a given policy has, as well as provide the incentives to carry out the policy and use its results. Institutionalisation is crucial to ensure co-ordination, leading to more comparable and consistent results and increased use in policy processes. Combined with measures to ensure quality and use, institutionalisation is a key ingredient to enhancing M&E capacities.
M&E should be considered as one of several tools governments can use to assess whether public policies and expenditures are achieving their objectives in the most cost-effective manner. If adequately orchestrated with other tools such as audits, regulatory impact assessments, performance budgeting and spending reviews; M&E can prove highly impactful sources of information for sound and smart policy and resource allocation decisions.
Monitoring and Evaluation is a key public management tool that can help policymakers track progress and demonstrate the impact generated by youth policies and programmes. M&E can assist in formulating policy goals, identifying promising practices, and even detecting programme weaknesses. The OECD provides technical support and guidance to governments for the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems for youth employment and social policies.
Learn more about the M&E work of the OECD on youth employment and social policies
Context
OECD governments regularly use evaluation for a range of purposes.
OECD governments conduct evaluations to fulfil different objectives. In most cases, evaluations are conducted to measure governments’ results and resources required to achieve them, promote evidence-informed policy making, and improve the quality of public services.
There are persistent challenges to a more widespread use of evaluation in OECD governments.
OECD Members face a range of barriers to the promotion of evaluation across their governments. While one of the most persistent challenge relates to the practical use of evaluation results in policy-making processes, other important challenges include the development of comprehensive strategies for policy evaluation, and the shortage of capacities and capabilities to create demand for, carry out evaluations.
