2 Evidence-based policy: principles and requirements

Evidence-based policy (EBP) is an aspiration rather than an accomplished outcome. The advocates of EBP urge the incorporation of rigorous research evidence into public policy debates and internal public sector processes for policy evaluation and program improvement. The primary goal is to improve the reliability of advice concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of policy settings and possible alternatives. This is attractive to pragmatic decision makers, who want to know what works under what conditions, and also to those professionals concerned with improving information bases and improving the techniques for analysis and evaluation. Some concerns are raised by professionals whose knowledge-discipline or whose policy focus is not well served by quantitative analytical techniques, and who worry that important qualitative evidence may be overlooked. Scientific experts may reasonably disagree about methods, instruments and impacts. Whatever methodologies are employed, EBP requires good data, analytical skills and political support. Hence there are inherent limitations, even where government officials are able to draw on the results of reliable information and sound analytical skills. The politics of decision making inherently involves a mixing of science, value preferences, and practical judgments about feasibility and legitimacy. Outside the scientific community, the realm of knowledge and evidence is even more diverse and contested. Competing sets of evidence and testimony inform and influence policy. The professional crafts of policy and program development require ‘weaving ’ these strands of information and values. The cutting-edge issues in modern EBP debates focus on problem-framing, methods for gathering and assessing reliable evidence, communicating and transferring knowledge into decision making, and evaluating the effectiveness of implementation and program delivery in complex policy areas