In the last years, both research and debates concerning public policy evaluation have clearly been marked by a specific normative bias and by an emphasis upon the technical aspects of evaluation, as well as by the valorization of its role as a management tool. Recognizing the incipient character of both the research and the practice of public policy evaluation in Brazil, this paper has the following objectives: (1) to analyze the aspects that have justified and conditioned the generalized implementation of public policy evaluation systems, particularly in Latin America; (2) to discuss the reasons behind the prevalence, both in the state and in the analytical level, of a "technicist" conception of evaluation, which is regarded today almost exclusively as an instrument to be used by the public managers; and (3) to emphasize the essentially political character of public policy evaluation, listing and categorizing the distinct forms of its utilization. The virtual subordination of the management use of evaluation to broader political projects and to specific strategies and interests of decision makers and other stakeholders will be stressed.
Public policy evaluation; Reform of the State; New public management