PPB Systems and Program Evaluation.

Kathleen Archibald

Expert InsightsPublished 1970

Describes the PPB concept and suggests that legislators should play a strong role in evaluating government programs. PPB was introduced as an executive tool; but, while the executive has a stake in good preanalysis, the balance of forces is against a careful evaluation of past and existing programs--especially if the evaluation becomes public knowledge. The legislative branch is concerned with accountability--whether programs accomplish their objectives. Evaluation probably should not be performed by the same persons as conventional postauditing. Postauditing checks on what happens to inputs, while evaluation deals with results. Workload measures should not be used as evaluators because they do not show how successful the process was. Stress on workloads can result in more and more work that is less and less useful. Input controls tend to decrease efficiency. Effectiveness measures are not easy to achieve, but a program is far better off with them than without them. 9 pp.

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Archibald, Kathleen, PPB Systems and Program Evaluation. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1970. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P4534.html.
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