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Why has the Magenta Book been developed?

The Magenta Book has been developed in the context of the demands of evidence-based policy making and the changing needs of analysis in and for government.

A series of publications since 1997 have stressed the importance of sound evidence, proper evaluation and good analysis at the heart of policy making. This in turn has generated a demand for guidance on how to undertake high qulaity evaluation, appraisal and analysis for policy making.