Policy Evaluation in Mie Prefecture: Implications for the theory of Program Evaluation

Abstract

This article describes the reforms to the evaluative function of local government in Mie prefecture that have been introduced since 1995. It reviews the development of program evaluation in the United States, then analyses the relation between Mie’s system and the theory of program evaluation. Some tentative suggestions are made regarding the messages drawn from the Mie experience that are relevant to the reforms of other local governments in Japan.