Analysis For Policy Project
Evidence based policy making in government
There is a long tradition of research evidence supporting social policy making in the UK . However commentators have detected a heightened receptivity to social research in Government since 1997. The current emphasis on evidence based policy making has its roots in the Government's commitment to 'what works' over ideologically-driven policy, and in the Modernising Government agenda, set out in the 1999 White Paper, and developed in the Cabinet Office's Professional policy making for the 21 st century (1999), Adding it up (2000) and Better policy making (2001), and in guidance on regulatory impact assessment, evaluation and piloting.
What do we already know?
The existing literature on the use of evidence in policy making reflects the perspective of evidence providers rather than evidence users. The literature identifies a range of barriers to the use of evidence in policy making:
- The evidence base: doesn't exist, is patchy, or written in a long-winded or inaccessible style; is of indeterminate, or poor, quality; is contradictory, full of caveats, or fails to reach clear-cut conclusions; does not speak directly to the policy agenda; reaches conclusions which are at variance with accepted wisdom, personal experience or political pressures; and, it takes too long to marshal policy-friendly syntheses, or conduct new research.
- Evidence providers: don't understand the policy making process; don't have the skills to communicate effectively to policy makers, and may be reluctant to 'get their hands dirty' by engaging with the policy making process or by drawing policy implications beyond immediate research findings. They often work within academic structures and appraisal systems that penalise researchers who produce collaborative inter-disciplinary applied research.
- Evidence users: don't understand the research process; lack skills for accessing, assessing and applying evidence; don't prioritise engaging with the evidence producers in their field; and lack a clear incentive structure and senior level support for better use of evidence.
The GSRU Analysis for Policy project reviews how policy makers use evidence in policy and delivery decisions in departments, identifying good practice as well as problems with a view to improving the service offered by analysts. Much has been achieved in the policy research relationship, and part of this project is to learn lessons from previous initiatives to improve policy making. The report will explore:
- What policy makers understand by evidence based policy making
- The other factors that policy makers take into account in developing policy advice, including political factors, stakeholders, resources and the media
- What policy makers understand by 'evidence': from anecdote to systematic review and randomised control trials
- The key barriers and enablers to the effective use of evidence in policy making, including: the availability and accessibility of evidence, timeliness, policy relevance and trustworthiness
- The incentives policy makers have to use evidence, staffing structures and skills
The report will be published here at www.gsr.gov.uk and publicised via the GSR Bulletin.
