Evaluation of public policies in Brazil and the United States: a research analysis in the last 10 years

Abstract This study compares research on evaluation of public policies in Brazil and the United States. To examine the extent to which evaluation research has been established in these countries, this article uses the methods of bibliometric and social network analysis to compare recent use of evaluation research in these countries. The results show that Brazil and the United States have focused on the same areas of research, especially the areas of health, education and social welfare. It was also observed that researchers from both countries use research methods, although American researchers make more use of quanti-quali methods, and that research networks on policy evaluation in the two country have similar characteristics, although the average size and density of networks in Brazil is less than that in the United States. On the basis of the evidence, it is concluded that evaluation research in Brazil evolved during the period investigated and is becoming consolidated as a field of study and practice.

摘要：本研究针对巴西与美国的公共政策评估研究展开对比分析。为考察两国评估研究的成熟程度，本文采用文献计量学（bibliometric）与社会网络分析（social network analysis）方法，对两国近年评估研究的应用现状进行对比考察。研究结果表明，巴西与美国的政策评估研究聚焦于高度重合的领域，尤以卫生、教育及社会福利领域最为突出。此外，两国研究者均会运用各类研究方法，不过美国研究者更倾向于使用混合定量-定性研究方法（quanti-quali）；两国的政策评估研究网络均呈现相似特征，但巴西的研究网络平均规模与密度均不及美国。基于上述研究证据，本研究得出结论：在本次考察的周期内，巴西的政策评估研究实现了长足发展，并正逐步巩固为一个成熟的研究与实践领域。