The evaluation of policies has become a critical aspect in enhancing public policy and informing citizens. In France, several entities undertake this task, but only a small fraction of their work - impact evaluations - rigorously measures the effectiveness of public policies against predefined objectives. These evaluations, primarily carried out by researchers, rely on statistical methods (experimental and quasi-experimental) to attribute observed results to the public policy.
In an effort to understand France's position in terms of producing impact evaluations compared to other economically comparable countries (Germany, Canada, USA, Netherlands, UK, Sweden), France Stratégie conducted a study in partnership with Sciences Po and the inter-ministerial direction of public service transformation (DITP). The study was based on EconLit database and keyword searches. It revealed that France is behind in the production of impact evaluations, although it has shown gradual improvement recently.
Employment is the most addressed theme in impact evaluations in France, as well as in other continental European countries (Germany, Sweden). However, France stands out for the significant role played by actors bridging the research and administration world in conducting these evaluations.
The global production of impact evaluations is largely dominated by the United States. However, when the number of publications is normalized by population, Nordic European countries such as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden rank highest due to early access to administrative data. Following them are the US, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK, and Germany. France produces about 2.7 studies per million inhabitants, which is roughly half that of its German (4.6 per million) and British (5.8 per million) neighbors.
Regarding themes of research, they reflect national concerns, notably employment in France. Impact evaluations in European and North American countries predominantly cover three main themes: employment, education, and health. The two main categories of countries emerge: one group (Canada, UK, Netherlands, US) focused on health and education; the other (France, Germany, Sweden) more concerned with labor market issues. This division mirrors the distinction between Anglo-Saxon countries or those with similar political and administrative traditions or regimes, and continental European countries.
France also publishes more often than other countries in national scientific journals, which may limit their international visibility but increases their national reception.
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