Policy advice and the pursuit of public value

Abstract

High-quality policy advice is an essential component of effective modern government. At its best, policy advice draws on the appropriate analysis of sound evidence to indicate directions for government action. At a more mundane level, policy advice in the form of situational analysis is required by Cabinet ministers to keep them abreast of developments within the purview of their respective portfolios. When informed by programme evaluation, policy advice can tell us whether current policies are delivering the valued outcomes that were anticipated when those policies were first adopted.