The Development of Evaluation Culture in Spain

Abstract

This paper presents a retrospective explanation as to how evaluation culture has been slowly incorporated into politics and public institutions in Spain during the last three decades. Evaluation, quality, and excellence are relevant concepts embedded in the design of current political programs. At this moment in history, it is important to ask, what has been the evaluation history in Spain? Where do influences on research designs come from? I address these questions in order to describe the evaluation process in the public sphere based on the biographical method, specifically on the testimony of five Spanish evaluators with recognized experience in this field. The aim is to set up a historical vision that represents the evolution of evaluation culture in Spain, analyzing and linking the individual perceptions of evaluators with the specific characteristics of a particular social context.

Keywords

• evaluation culture in Spain
• history of evaluation
• political accountability
• biographical method