Documented Evaluation Structures: An Empirical Dataset Based on Requests for Criteria and Factual Grounds

This dataset provides a structured and descriptive account of written correspondence between the author and selected public administrative bodies in Norway during the period 2025–2026. It constitutes a documented empirical basis consisting of access requests and corresponding responses concerning evaluation criteria, factual grounds, and documentation of decision-making processes. The material is organised into units of analysis defined as request–response sequences, with follow-ups included where they contribute to clarifying the response. The presentation is limited to observable content and does not include interpretation or normative assessment. The dataset is structured using the Documented Evaluation Structures Model (DESM), which enables consistent description of document availability, stated grounds, operationalisation, and traceability across cases. The empirical material is analytically related to two publications based on the same underlying material: a Norwegian-language publication on documented criteria-lessness in public administration (Eines, 2026b), and an English-language analytical publication presenting empirically grounded observations of criteria-lessness in public administration (Eines, 2026f). The dataset may be described as providing the documented empirical basis for these analytical accounts. Version note:Updated to include reference to a newly published English-language analytical publication based on the same material and to clarify the dataset’s role as the documented empirical basis.