A renewed boost to institutionalize public policy evaluation in Spain. Long lasting problems and challenges ahead

Abstract

In this article, I apply some elements of the theory of institutions and of the public policy analysis to explore the challenges of the institutionalization of the evaluation of public policies, a reform boosted by the Recovery Plan and committed for the reception of the Next Generation EU funds. Under this perspective, I review the successive attempts to institutionalize the evaluation of public policies in Spain, the determinant factors and the main obstacles for its effective implementation, according to the diagnoses made from within and out of the public administrations, and finally I appoint some conclusions from a parliamentary perspective.

I conclude that the weaknesses and the dispersion of the evaluation of public policies in Spain have not varied significantly in the last two decades, in spite of the successive attempts to regulate an evaluation framework, and that the advances in the field have derived mainly from the fiscal stability commitments with the EU and adjustment path revisions conditioned to spending reviews, with a political involvement at the highest level. Regarding the Parliament, the new evaluation framework raises some challenges such as the shape of its role within the institutional architecture, the enhanced use of elements already regulated, such as the impact analysis reports and the performance budgeting, and the reinforcement of its technical capacities.