Public Values

Government website evaluations do not always reflect the websites’ aims. Often, only aspects such as content and quality are considered, whereas the primary goal of these websites is to deliver public value. In this paper we introduce the public value perspective for website evaluation. A meta-analysis of website evaluation literature is presented, the findings being that there is no uniform or comprehensive set of website evaluation metrics and that the public value perspective is largely neglected in the website evaluation literature. Next, we describe how we integrated web evaluation and public value literature in order to develop a set of criteria used for evaluating the websites of sixteen Turkish local governments. The websites performed relatively well on traditional indicators, but less well on public values measures. In particular, we found that the websites are good at supporting requests, categorization and usability, but not satisfactory at providing platforms for citizen engagement, responsiveness and dialog. Finally, we argue that the public value perspective should be incorporated in the evaluations of websites and other public efforts.

In 2022 India celebrates 75 years of its independence. This year also marks 70 years of the establishment of the Programme Evaluation Organization (PEO) by the Government of India. This marks a formal recognition of the monitoring and evaluation function within the government system. India is at a critical juncture-with future development contingent on carefully designed investments that are implemented efficiently. This will yield the intended developmental outcomes and help achieve our national priorities. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is the cornerstone of this paradigm of output-outcome based performance measurement and public expenditure efficiency. Since 2015, the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) at NITI Aayog has supported rigorous, data-driven, citizen-centric, and outcomes-driven program management and policy-making. DMEO has consistently undertaken initiatives to strengthen M&E systems and capacities necessary for addressing the complexities, diversities, and inequities across the country. DMEO is also partnering with States for facilitating cross-learning across all levels of the government. It has increasingly become evident that M&E is imperative for sustainable development. In this context, DMEO has curated this Compendium of Essays encompassing various themes. These themes address different aspects of strengthening the M&E ecosystem at the national and state levels. They will improve the understanding of the challenges in diverse M&E contexts and exploring the potential of data, technology and innovation in M&E for supporting evidence-based policy making. These essays will enable identifying institutional gaps in M&E systems and sharing good practices for course correction. Apart from having a coherent policy, in the current Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world, M&E has to be capable of addressing the uncertainties of exogenous shocks. The essay "A Framework for Optimizing Government Monitoring and Evaluation Systems During Crises" articulates, an M&E implementation framework to address the challenges of the VUCA world. The M&E Framework needs to be supported by appropriate methodology and tools. While gold standard evaluations involve carefully calibrated before-and-after research designs, real-world policymaking and exogenous shocks often do not allow for planned evaluations FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK From the Editor's Desk x M&E @70: Strengthening India's Evidence Systems for Accelerated Reforms and Inclusive Growth with phased programme implementation. The Essay titled "Leveraging Longitudinal Data for Evaluation" highlights how monitoring instruments can be pivoted into evaluation instruments with a longitudinal focus and incorporation of a causal lens. While we explore causality, it is imperative to go beyond "causality" to understand the "Why" and "How". The Essay titled "Mixed Methods in Evaluation: Beyond "causality"; to understand the 'Why' and 'How" highlights how mixed methods can strengthen M&E. Use of data not only necessitates availability of data but also a cultural perspective. Supporting the mixed method approach in the Essay, "Building capacities for evaluative thinking and learning in Indian states: centering the role of values and norms" the authors draw on their experience of working with the Government of Meghalaya to center values and norms as a critical precursor to decision-making for evaluation. The Essay highlights the importance of long-term, process-focused, mixed-method, complex evaluations and the capacities that are required to support them. "Capacity Building of National Rural Livelihood Mission Personnel on Evaluations and Data Utilization for Evidence-based Decision Making" further amplifies importance of capacity building, especially for largescale scheme evaluation programs. Culture and capacity are an integral part of successful M&E. "Developing a Culture of Evidence Use: Experiences from Uttar Pradesh" articulates a culture of data use for decision making in the Health Department of Government of Uttar Pradesh supported by the Uttar Pradesh Technical Support Unit (UPTSU). In evidence-based policy making, quality of data is key, and technology can be leveraged for the same. Using a case experience, the Essay titled "Community Monitoring for strengthening responsible participation leveraging ICT" highlights how simple communication technology can be leveraged for unbiased, free and efficient participative monitoring. Moving beyond survey and administrative data; the essay "Big Data: Transforming Evidence based Policy Making" highlights how governance can be improved, made more efficient and effective through the use of Big Data. Development must be inclusive of the marginalized classes as well. "Inclusivity in Evaluations and Equity-Centric Budgeting", attempts to underscore the role of equitycentric evaluations for empowering marginalized groups while maintaining utmost sensitivity to their needs and requirements. One of the important dimensions of inclusivity is accessibility and affordability of food. The Essay, "Road to Zero Hunger: Review of Evidence on India's Food Safety Nets" undertakes a review of available literature on the effect of food safety nets on achieving food security and improving nutrition outcomes for the beneficiaries. The Essay "Enabling Coherence in Monitoring by Breaking Informational Silos" details how India's ability to break information silos can pave the way to a new phase of equitable, efficient, effective and sustainable resource utilization. In "Improving States' Capacities for Responsive Social Protection Systems", the author describes the relevance of building State capacity for designing, implementing, and financing social protection.

This article analyzes whether and how managerial and Weberian value systems can coexist or collide in different organisational settings. We compare six public organisations in two Latin American countries to study whether public sector reforms imply a clash or a crowding-out between these values systems. The article uses data from 60 semistructured interviews with public officials of different hierarchical levels, in public central government agencies with different ages, modernisation stages, and organisational structures. Our analysis reveals that even in different settings and types of organisations, Weberian values coexist with managerial ones and with other sets of values related to governance or political patronage. We conclude that managerial values do not necessarily crowd out other value systems as previous studies have found and appear to be adapted to the organisational and national contexts in which they operate.

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Data indicates that implementation of the merit system in civil service management is still far from the target achievement, especially for local governments. This paper assesses the implementation of the merit system of ASN management based on 8 (eight) aspects at the Central Java Province, namely: planning; procurement; career development and development of competencies; promotion, mutation, rotation and demotion; performance management; payroll, reward, and discipline; protection; and supporting facilities. The research instrument was developed from national policies. This study found that Central Java has met category III (good implementation) for 5 aspects. However, it reveals there are still 3 (three) aspects that haven’t met the criteria for good implementation. There are some impediments for implementation in career development, promotion and rotation, and performance management aspects. This finding is very important as a basic reference in the policy evaluation and supporting the bureaucratic reform performance. The recommendation focuses on the development of talent management and talent pool as one of the Indonesian strategic plans to improve the quality of civil service.

The public interest should be the center of policy analytical frameworks. This study applies a public values framework to the 2004-2005 influenza vaccine shortage. It illustrates the potential for infusing public values in analysis of policy controversies, something that has been marginalized in recent years. The public values approach leads to a quite different, and preferable, focus on policy analysis and forecasting compared to predominant economic thinking, especially market failure criteria. The vaccine shortage case is especially apt inasmuch as relatively few of the determinants pertained to economic forces or market factors. Public health is a classic instance of public goods, perhaps even more so than defense and national security because the level of threat to one is in large measure a function of the threat to others.