EVALUATION - STAKEHOLDER-FOCUSED CRITERIA

Identifying and selecting suitable criteria is an important considerat ion in evaluating the performance of public sector organizations. Whic h criteria are chosen, and how they are weighted, will depend largely on the perspective being taken; different stakeholders (for example, c lients, providers or commissioners) are likely to emphasize different criteria. In this paper a number of criteria are identified and an arg ument is developed to indicate which criteria are likely to be valued by various stakeholders. Furthermore, a number of approaches and mecha nisms for evaluation are identified and the links between these, the c riteria appropriate to them and the various stakeholders are made expl icit. Finally, the issue of politics and the distribution of power bet ween the stakeholders is addressed with a call for greater explicitnes s in using and balancing criteria (for example, as between professiona ls and the intended beneficiaries of services). In this way, while rec ognizing the inherent political nature of performance evaluation, the planning and implementation of services may be improved by a more mutu ally informed approach to evaluation.