Forum - Linking Evaluation and Spending Reviews: Prospects and Challenges
February 26, 2018
Panelists:
Panel Presenters
Dr. Robert Shepherd, Carleton University
Dr. David Zussman, School of Public Administration, UVic
Dr. Rod Dobell, Centre for Global Studies, UVic
Panel Respondents
Dr. Eric De Vries, Treasury Board Staff, Govt. of Canada
Ms. Bayla Kolk, Executive in Residence, UVic
Dr. Evert Lindquist, School of Public Administration, UVic
Panel Chair
Irene Huse, PhD student, School of Public Administration, UVic
Spending reviews at the national or provincial/state level have become an important way to assess current and future policy and program priorities, internationally. A chronic scarcity of resources in the face of growing demands for government programs, potentiated by the Great Recession in 2008 and by more uncertainty about global political and economic prospects, has increased the demand for ways of systematically assessing and rationing government expenditures. In the federal government of Canada, and in some provinces, program evaluation and performance measurement have been institutionalized and are expected to produce information for program improvement and accountability-related uses. Given the importance of spending reviews, assessing the relevance and usefulness of evaluation-related information for strategic decision-making is both important and timely.
The Forum brought together contributors to a forthcoming Special Issue of the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation. A cross section of academics and practitioners attended: from the BC government, consulting companies, former senior executives in the federal government of Canada, current and former alumni, staff and faculty from the School of Public Administration.