In this interesting article, Zulmira Hartz traces the history of the institutionalization of policy and program evaluation in France as a reference to reflect on possible paths to be followed in Brazil. The definition of institutionalization adopted by the author (integration of evaluation into the organizational system one is attempting to influence) expresses the evaluation approach she assumes, that is, an activity not limited to research practice, but an integral part of policy-making and implementation of activities in these policies and programs. In this approach, the role of evaluators and/or evaluation agencies is expanded by assuming the additional function of facilitating quality improvement processes. The author thus draws the concepts of evaluation and regulation closer together. Under a broad approach, regulation is seen not only as a normative resource, but also as an action facilitating governance (Almeida et al., 1998). According to this approach, the effectiveness of evaluation implies the use of less coercive (and thus more participatory) strategies, in addition to creating flexible, decentralized evaluation structures.