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Evaluation of public policy relies on a model in which the public authorities agree on goals that the administration seeks to accomplish with their partners. Goals are compared against results obtained in various ways, while explaining disparities. Findings are then applied to reform bills and policies. This typical and ideal process hardly works when applied to state policies. The efforts of the French Budget Law (LOLF) to manage performance were thwarted: the evaluation reports spark criticism from the moment they are published, rendering the implementation of any of their proposals impossible. The author offers an explanation by clarifying the fundamental difference that exists between the definition of “goals” when applied to politics and to management. Success of public policy is dependent on the joint construction of the state apparatus, involving all its partners and attempting to reach compromises on the actions to be carried out. Evaluation in all its forms is a useful means to achieve this goal, as long as the varied scales of value are taken into account and the stakeholders are engaged.