From Unambiguity to Widescreen: Broadening the Evaluation Criteria of Effectiveness, Efficiency and Compliance in the Public Sector : A Dutch Municipal Case Study

Anderson, Rick (2026) From Unambiguity to Widescreen: Broadening the Evaluation Criteria of Effectiveness, Efficiency and Compliance in the Public Sector : A Dutch Municipal Case Study. PUBLIC GOVERNANCE ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCES LAW REVIEW, 11. pp. 1-26. ISSN 2498-6275 (In Press)

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Abstract

Evaluation of government organisations in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and compliance is increasingly being mandated in European countries. However, the actual evaluation of government organisations based on these three criteria can be particularly complex in practice. In this contribution, using a municipal case study as an example, the evaluation criteria of effectiveness, efficiency and compliance are situated within political, economic and legal rationalities, respectively. This approach yields a broader and more nuanced understanding of the extent to which a public sector organisation operates effectively, efficiently, or in accordance with the law. On the other hand, positioning the criteria within these three rationalities implies that it is not straightforward to construct a predetermined normative framework, and that in most cases no unequivocal assessment can be reached. The rationalities do not contradict one another: each employs a distinct criterium, and together they complement each other and provide a more comprehensive basis for evaluation.

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