Summary: In response to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the recent changes in the status of program evaluation activities in the civil executive departments and agencies, specifically: (1) the current level of program evaluation activity in the executive branch; and (2) changes that occurred between 1980 and 1984.
GAO found that, between 1980 and 1984: (1) the total number of units in civil departments and agencies engaging in program evaluation activities decreased by 26 percent; (2) fiscal resources decreased by 37 percent and personnel decreased by 22 percent; (3) fewer evaluation units were in operation and both budgetary and human resources decreased, especially for those departments with block grant programs; (4) only about 20 percent of the units with continued evaluation activity reported any legislative set-aside funding for evaluation; (5) internal budget allocations did not compensate for set-aside reduction, and tended to decrease more rapidly than the set-asides themselves; and (6) despite the decreases in units, funding levels, and professional staff, evaluation studies decreased by only 3 percent. GAO also found that: (1) evaluation units increased their internal staff work on less expensive studies and non-technical reports and reduced the number of costlier, more time-consuming studies by external evaluators; (2) program managers and top agency officials were the primary recipients of evaluation studies; and (3) findings from the studies were not easily available to Congress and the public.
