There are two important reasons to build review and evaluation into deliberative public engagement: first, to assess what has been achieved; and second, to improve future practice.
Effective evaluation starts as early as possible in the process and continues until after the final policy decision has been taken. This helps to ensure that the process is guided by measurable objectives, which can then be used to test achievement, and that any impact can be assessed and shared with the participants.
Review and evaluation can be done in-house or independently. In-house evaluation, such as self-assessment and peer review, can help promote internal learning, whereas external evaluation can ensure independent scrutiny, legitimacy and accountability.