Evaluation and Organizational Learning in Government : The impact of Institutions (Dutch)

The focus of this article is organizational learning in Dutch governmental agencies in relation to evaluation studies of the Court of Audit. A theory is developed in which the impact of evaluation is related to institutional conditions, such as - formal arrangements and normative frameworks. These institutions are conceived as being located within 'repertoires' of individual or organizational actors. This structural-constructivist approach is tested in two case studies (relating to Court of Audit evaluations on State Museums and on private financing of infrastructure projects). This leads to a confirmation of some hypotheses developed and to a further elaboration of the theory. A central conclusion is that impact of evaluation is not so much related to characteristics of the evaluation as such but to the direct or indirect coupling to the repertoires of the governmental agencies concerned