Evaluation in Peru

Evaluation in Peru has been mainly developed in the last two decades, framed by a favourable Latin American impulse, under an uninterrupted democratic government, favourable economic conditions and fight against corruption. Its evolution was linked to the search for greater efficiency and transparency in development interventions and is characterised by an increase in the use of evaluation in various sectors, the emergence of evaluators’ organisations (such as EvalPerú and REDPERUME), publications and specialised training programmes. In the public administration, the practice of evaluation has been accompanied by reform and modernisation of the state. In the executive branch, it emerged from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and spread to the social sectors. In Civil Society, it has a mainly administrative focus. There is no regulation on the promotion and dissemination of evaluations in civil society. Nor is there any debate between the state and the instituted civil society, which counts on evaluation as an input. Dissemination is voluntary, and its use is unknown. Specialised training has evolved from specific training and development of support materials in monitoring and evaluation, to postgraduate programmes offered by Peruvian and international academic institutions. There is a critical mass of professionals. Although there are important advances, evaluation in Peru has not yet reached its full potential. Important challenges remain, such as the consolidation of advances in the public sector, the assimilation of evaluation in civil society as a public good, and the deepening of professionalisation.