An Evaluation Roadmap for a More Effective Government

Evaluation is an essential function of government. It can enhance oversight and accountability of federal programs, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of services, assess which programs or policies are working and which are not, and provide critical information needed for making difficult decisions about them.

In keeping with our mission, AEA describes its vision of the role of evaluation in the federal government. An Evaluation Roadmap for a More Effective Government provides guidance for improving government through evaluation, outlining steps to strengthen the practice of evaluation throughout the life cycle of programs.

Evaluation is an essential function of government. It can enhance oversight and accountability of federal programs, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of services, assess which programs or policies are working and which are not, and provide critical information needed for making difficult decisions about them.

The Evaluation Roadmap provides:

• An overview of challenges faced in foreign and domestic policy areas
• Core requirements for evaluation programs, like independence and transparency 
• Recommendations for federal agencies to adopt
• Recommendations for federal agencies to adopt to improve evaluation programs
• General principles that should guide efforts to integrate evaluation into program management
• Examples of collaboration between the Executive Branch and Congress
• Considerations for the future

Download the Roadmap