Are evaluations white elephants? Analysing evaluation use in the Philippines’ basic education sector

Evaluation, a form of social science research, has featured in the field of governance and development for decades; but even with its increasing popularity, there has been limited inquiry into the actual use of evaluations towards more informed policymaking. This study aims to analyse the role that evaluations play in the Philippine government, specifically in the process of planning and designing development programs. The basic education sector was chosen as a case study for this research, focusing on the Department of Education (DepEd). This study combined organisational perspectives with the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework as an analytical framework to investigate the purpose of evaluation studies and how their findings were used by DepEd in informing the design for basic education programs. Technical and political constraints faced by the Philippine government in producing and using evaluations were also explored, particularly in the context of implementing the government’s policy on results-based management. This is a qualitative study undertaken through key informant interviews, textual analysis, and a desk review of secondary data. The study finds that evaluation research now plays a more substantial role in public sector management, but that the interests of different actors in the arena – donors, government agencies, NGOs, consultants, and funders – provide different dimensions to the purpose of evaluations. Within the Philippines’ basic education sec-tor, evaluation findings have been used as one of but not the main driver for policy decisions; specifically, evaluations have been used to report accomplishments, improve program design, and legitimise certain interventions. Finally, the study finds that evaluations are not necessarily white elephants; there is great potential for their use in public sector management, but technical and political constraints faced by government particularly in the production of quality evaluations need to be taken seriously and addressed, so as not to see public funds for evaluations go to waste.