Challenges and Problems in the Evaluation of Governmental Programs

No one doubts the practical difficulties of assessing the cost and benefits of social programs and of evaluating the impact of these programs in many situations. Those people responsible for program formulation and evaluation system design at all levels of government must work at solving the problem of clearly defining objectives and measurement criteria so as to provide program managers with the information necessary for critical evaluation. Else, success and determination of whether approaches or funding levels need to be revised cannot be intelligently assessed. We in the GAO are continuing to work on new evaluation methods and techniques to improve our ability to estimate effectiveness and enable us to continue to deliver meaningful information to the Congress.

In the final analysis, the hard choices will be political choices but political leaders and the public need increased awareness of the arguments, pro and con, concerning the choices that must be made. Those who want to do right should at least be equipped with good information.