Experimental Implementation Between Outcomes and Learning: Insights from the ‘‘trial office’’ judiciary reform in Italy

Outcome-based indicators are widely used to assess policy success, yet their adequacy is rarely questioned in contexts characterized by design uncertainty and multilevel governance. This article argues that outcome indicators alone are insufficient to evaluate experimental policies. Using the Italian “trial office” NRPP investment as a case study, the article shows how the narrow focus on target outcomes fails to capture key dimensions of the policy implementation process developed under these conditions. The article contributes to the literature on policy implementation by proposing a framework for assessing policy success. It complements outcome-based evaluation by incorporating learning-oriented criteria that focus on changes in interpretative frameworks, the development of relational networks, and the emergence and diffusion of organizational innovations.