Evaluation is a key element of policy development and delivery. It provides an understanding of how a policy was delivered in practice and whether its objectives were met. This evidence can then shape the policy as it develops, and is a key source of information for the development of new policies in related areas.
To support policy evaluation in DECC, the DECC Policy Evaluation Team has developed:
In addition, DECC uses the cross-government guidance on evaluation, the Magenta Book.
Why evaluate?
There are strong incentives to evaluate key policies across government, but in particular in DECC. These are because:
- we need to know whether our policies work in practice and whether we are on track to meet out challenging targets
- we need to know which elements of our polices work and which elements do not
- we need to know whether our policies represent value for money
- we need to be transparent and accountable, and be able to demonstrate effective use of our resources
- we will be subject to external scrutiny and will be held to account
Evaluation evidence
The findings from DECC evaluations will be published on the publications page of this website.