La valutazione delle politiche pubbliche nella riforma del Senato tra tecnica e politica

Evaluation of public policies has only recently presented itself as a potential competence of the “new” Italian Senate. While this reform is consistent with the perspective of a Senate of Regions, it rises many sensitive issues which, if not properly addressed, could undermine the effectiveness of the public policy evaluation. Such issues are mainly related to the division of powers between the two Chambers and to the blurred boundaries of the different functions entrusted to the Senate. Another crucial issue is the question of how to ensure the separation of technical and political dimensions of the evaluation. The paper discusses these points focusing on organizational and procedural choices for greater effectiveness of the evaluation function.