Theoretical and Strategic Frameworks for National Evaluation Capacity Building (NECB) *

Abstract

Focusing on the concept and logic of evaluation capacity building in both organizational and national level, firstly, this paper attempts to derive a theoretical, conceptual framework for national evaluation capacity building (NECB) that could be tailored to the Korean setting. The past Korean governments, as well as other leading countries, have undergone great economic, political hardships since 1990s without their own effective NECB efforts. Accordingly, this study also suggests that a strategic framework for NECB can be effectively developed by integrating major elements or factors, which are derived from the theoretical framework for NECB, such as: establishing a national evaluation management system, creating legal foundation and budgets specific to evaluation, constructing both institutional and electronic evaluation networks, and finally developing and retaining professional national evaluation resources. In this context, this paper implies that a nation like Korea would be globally competitive by systematically building and enhancing its national evaluation capacity.