Evaluation and the Moral Imagination of Governance

I recently had the honour of serving on the steering committee for the review of South Africa’s national evaluation policy. As we discussed the findings and considered the road ahead, I found myself returning to a fundamental question—one that often gets lost amidst methods, indicators, and reports:

What is evaluation really about? Why does it matter—and how does it contribute to meaningful change?

From Technical Exercise to Tool for Governance

When I first entered the field, I saw evaluation primarily as a technical pursuit: designing frameworks, selecting methods, running regressions, and producing reports. It was about rigour, evidence, and credibility.

Over time, however, my perspective has shifted. I have come to understand evaluation not only as a technical function but as an approach to governance. It is a way of strengthening how public institutions think, learn, and adapt. Perhaps most importantly, it is a way of grounding bureaucratic decisions in reflection and purpose.

The Nature of Public Institutions

To appreciate evaluation’s broader role, it helps to understand how public institutions—especially bureaucracies—function. Unlike private companies, public entities are not subject to competitive market forces that require constant innovation and responsiveness to evidence. Private firms cannot afford to ignore data; their very survival depends on understanding costs, customers, margins, and performance.

Bureaucracies, by contrast, are often insulated from such pressures. They may continue to operate regardless of performance. In this context, evaluation is sometimes viewed as a non-essential activity—something useful but not mission-critical. In many cases, that perception is not entirely wrong.

If we see bureaucracies as organisms within a broader governance system, their survival often hinges more on political alignment, legal compliance, and budgetary processes than on the results they deliver.

Why Evaluation Still Matters

So why should evaluation have a seat at the table?

I would argue that its value lies not in its necessity but in its ideals.

Evaluation, at its best, is an expression of the public sector’s highest aspirations. Like democracy, justice and human rights, it is not about profit or efficiency—it is about integrity and stewardship. It represents a commitment to using public resources wisely, to learning from failure and success, and to striving continuously for better outcomes.

When we evaluate well, we do not merely measure—we reflect. We ask hard questions, make informed decisions, and stay open to course correction. And we do so not as a one-off exercise but as a way of working.

A Call for Purposeful Practice

This broader vision of evaluation—as a cornerstone of reflective, values-driven governance—demands that we move beyond compliance checklists and routine reporting. It calls on us to embed evaluation into the learning fabric of public institutions and to champion its role in shaping policies that genuinely serve people and advance the public good.

So, let me return to my original question:

👉 What does evaluation mean to you? How do you define its purpose in your work or your organisation?

Let’s keep this conversation going.

In Appreciation

As I reflect on these ideas, I am also reminded of the rich and meaningful dialogue that has taken place around South Africa’s national evaluation policy. The country has made great strides over the years in using evaluation to pursue the highest ideals of the public sector. These achievements are worth celebrating. At the same time, they invite us to keep asking how we can build further on these gains—deepening the role of evaluation not just as a practice but as a principle of good governance.

#Evaluation #Governance #Learning