Evaluation policy and the federal workforce

Abstract

The federal evaluation workforce plays a central role in the development and execution of evaluation policy. This workforce performs critical functions that include identifying where evidence should be built in particular policy areas, determining key research questions to inform their agency's mission, and shaping the field more broadly through federal investments in evaluation. Other roles include designing evaluation studies, overseeing contracts to conduct evaluations, performing internal evaluations, and communicating results to decision‐makers. For the most part, these are highly skilled and trained career staff responsible for overseeing and executing technical projects in a challenging bureaucratic and political environment. This chapter describes the role of the federal evaluation workforce in the executive branch and its importance in developing and executing evaluation policy. It also describes recent changes, including the passage of the Foundations for Evidence‐Based Policymaking Act of 2018, that have affected the roles, responsibilities, and opportunities for this vital workforce.