Abstract:

The search for quality has been gaining ground in the last decade, not only in industry but also in services, in public organisations as well as in private firms. The following paper explains how, in France, regional authorities have also felt an increasing need for evaluation, for instance of their social or health care policies. On a specific case : that of specialised institutions for elderly people, we will show which evolutions have been taking place in the evaluation theories and methodologies of the public sector, from experts-based quality evaluation to pure satisfaction oriented surveys among users. The paper will also present a precise case-study and stress difficulties to overcome when dealing with institutionalized elderly people.