How Do Municipal Policy- and Decision-Makers Evaluate the Impact of Their Policies? Insights from the City of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada

In the public sector, evaluation is essential for assessing policy impact, implementation fidelity, and ensuring accountability among policy- and decision-makers. However, little is known about the extent to which evaluation is used to guide policy-making in small-to-medium-sized municipalities. This analysis sought to explore how municipal policy- and decision-makers in the City of Regina view and incorporate evaluation in their work. This qualitative case study used semi-structured interviews with 30 municipal policy- and decision-makers, and analyzed the data using thematic analysis. Our findings suggest that while municipal policy- and decision-makers have attempted to steer the policy development process toward democratic principles, enhanced legitimacy, and evidence-driven practices, there remain substantial barriers to implementing these changes. Key challenges, such as superficial legitimacy and limited resources, were found as obstacles to establishing a comprehensive evaluation framework that support consistent, transparent, and accountable municipal policy-making. Our findings provide valuable insights for those involved in the municipal policy-making process.