Why do some policy evaluations have national and worldwide recognition? Those evaluations make an impact on states’ modernization; they change the paradigms, values, stereotypes, programming transformation and reforms. Other evaluations do not have any significant influence and are likely put on the e-shelves of the governments and universities computers. Evaluation researches are defined as reformistic, which aim to develop an alternatives for the social improvement. One of the functions of evaluation is an improvement by assessing policy output and outcome. Most outcomes are jointly determined and controlled by plurality of the actors. Evaluation helps to change a policy agenda, policy formulation and implementation strategies. Modern scientific and technological achievements provide governments with real and noticeable military, economic, political, diplomatic power. Under such circumstances, a critical question emerge: is the influence of policy evaluations determined by the qualifications of the evaluators, the political-economic situation or the efforts of the international donors community to export values, knowledge, ideas which have either direct or indirect interest to the development efforts?

Poland has made significant efforts in the development of the evaluation function as a tool for better decision-making and good governance. Starting from the pre-accession program PHARE as legal obligation, current evaluation is not only used as a tool for accountability and knowledge production but evaluation results are used in the national decision making on. Poland has also made significant attempts to implement a European Union Cohesion policy, the outcome of which should be to decentralize the evaluation function too. However, the system is not working properly yet, due to different obstacles such as lack of human resources, quality of evaluation studies and relevant monitoring data. Poland is moving to the most advanced stage in terms of evaluation content, quality between European Union member states and maybe good example for the present and future members how to make evaluation really work for decision making and absorption of structural funds.