Aspects of the Institutionalization of Evaluation in Finland : Basic, Agency, Process and Change

This article elaborates a neo-institutional approach to evaluation and utilizes this approach for an empirical examination of the institutionalization of evaluation in Finland’s national government. The results indicate ambiguity in the basic institutionalization of the evaluation examined and imprecision in the agency of the actors carrying out or commissioning evaluations. With tighter or looser coupling to decision-making, institutional practices of evaluation enhance performance or support legitimation, or do both in various combinations. Future studies will be needed to ascertain to what extent intense agent-driven change has only introduced formal procedures enacted in the name of evaluation, and to what extent this type of change has influenced actual evaluation practices. The article finishes with a consideration of the contributions it claims to make.This article draws on neo-institutional theoretical ideas to empirically examine the institutionalization of evaluation in the national government of Finland. The results indicate ambiguity in the basic institutionalization of Finnish evaluation, and imprecision in the agency of the actors that carry out or commission evaluations or utilize the evaluation results. Some Finnish institutional practices of evaluation enhance formal rationality such as efficiency and effectiveness, some support legitimation, and others do both in combination. The strength of coupling of evaluation to decision-making varies greatly. For future research, the article suggests studies on the institutionalization of evaluation in other countries. For evaluation practice, the results highlight the position of evaluation along the rationality-legitimation axis, and the variable linkages of evaluation to decision-making.Peer reviewe