Explaining variation in evidence-based policy making in the American states

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 579-596
Author(s):  
Dylan L. Yingling ◽  
Daniel J. Mallinson
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Electoral Incentives ◽  
American States ◽  
Evidence Based Policy ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Context Shape

Background: Though evidence-based policy (EBP) has attracted considerable attention from the public, academics, and governments, prior studies have revealed little about how political parties, institutions, and policy context shape the adoption and implementation of these policies in the American states.Aims and objectives: Develop objective criteria for measuring these policies, as well as a hierarchy which describes the features that make some policies more advanced. This paper presents the first comprehensive study on EBP in the American states.Methods: Using assessments by the Pew and MacArthur foundations to measure EBP in the states for four topics: criminal justice, juvenile justice, behavioural health, and child welfare. Assess the relationship between EBP use and state political and institutional factors.Results: Democratic governors, Republican legislatures, state innovativeness are significant predictors of EBP engagement.Discussion and conclusions: This research makes a substantial contribution to the study of EBP and opens new avenues for future research on the political, cultural, and institutional factors that influence EBP adoption and implementation. In an era of extreme partisanship, our study finds that EBP is a policy niche where actors and institutions across political parties use research evidence to inform effective and efficient policies in ways that maximise the electoral incentives that such policies can offer.

scholarly journals Does knowledge brokering facilitate evidence-based policy? A review of existing knowledge and an agenda for future research

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor MacKillop ◽  
Sarah Quarmby ◽  
James Downe
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Knowledge Brokering ◽  
Evidence Use ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Evidence Based Policy

The claim that evidence-based policy (EBP) produces better outcomes has gained increasing support over the last three decades. Knowledge brokering (KB) is seen as a way to achieve improved policymaking and governments worldwide are investing significant resources in KB initiatives. It is therefore important to understand the range of these activities and to investigate whether and how they facilitate EBP. This article critically reviews the extant literature on KB. It identifies six important limitations: the existence of multiple definitions of KB; a lack of theory-based empirical analysis; a neglect of knowledge brokering organisations; insufficient research on KB in social policy; limited analysis of impact and effectiveness; and a lack of attention to the role played by politics. The paper proposes an agenda for future research that bridges disciplinary boundaries in order to address these gaps and contribute new insights into the politics of evidence use.

Evidence-based Policy in India: Crossing the Long, Uphill Bridge

2021 ◽  
pp. 245513332110355
Author(s):  
Abhirup Bhunia
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Real World ◽  
Developmental Change ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Policy ◽  
Political Economy Analysis ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
Experimental Findings ◽  
Evidence Generation

The evidence-based-policy ecosystem, and its arsenal of approaches and techniques need course-correction to adequately respond to complex and practical policymaking contexts. Experimental findings do not resonate in scale implementation, particularly in large and diverse contexts like India’s. Causal empiricism leaves out investigation of complex pathways and impact mechanisms, while ‘evidence’ often disengages political economy considerations. Surmounting the methodological constrictions—which limit the utility and uptake of such evidence for a decisionmaker—requires being able to sufficiently account for institutional factors, social norms, politics, and stakeholder incentives among other related influences in policymaking. This may be possible through robust use of qualitative nuances, and integration of political economy analysis towards adopting a realist approach in evidence generation. It is important to acknowledge that measurement alone should qualify as neither evaluation or research. The state of research, its guiding principles, approaches and methods are often directed by current influences and preferences of stakeholders who are in a position to shape discourse. Interjections by more stakeholders are urgently needed to orient evidence generation to ‘real world’ realities and respond to the non-linear complexities of developmental change pathways.

Failures of Intermediate Forms: A Study of the Suzuki Zaibatsu

1995 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard H. Lynn ◽  
Hayagreeva Rao
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Forms ◽  
World War ◽  
Public Resources ◽  
The Media

This paper examines the technical and institutional factors leading to the 'fail ure' of a zaibatsu — a pre-World War II Japanese form of conglomerate organ ization that combined market and hierarchical elements. It suggests that coor dination and legitimacy problems can be particular threats to the survival of some intermediate organizational forms. Drawing on historical and archival materials, the paper chronicles the collapse of the Suzuki zaibatsu, a business empire with sales that at one point equalled 10 percent of Japan's GNP. Suzuki's coordination problems and resource misallocations were the outcome of three factors: (a) the lack of mechanisms to coordinate relations between operating units and the holding company, (b) the failure of the 'owners', in this case a merchant family, to correct managerial inadequacies and, (c) the parallel failure of the group's 'organ bank' to discipline managers. Suzuki's legitimacy problems included a shortage of support from political parties, the bureaucracy and the media. This jeopardized Suzuki's ability to compete with other zaibatsu for public resources and gain institutional support that might have allowed survival. The implications of the case study for future research on the 'failure' of intermediate organizational forms are discussed.

Refining Evidence-Based Treatments for Late-Life Depression

GeroPsych ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Grace C. Niu ◽  
Patricia A. Arean
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Aging Population ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Late Life Depression ◽  
Evidence Based Treatments

The recent increase in the aging population, specifically in the United States, has raised concerns regarding treatment for mental illness among older adults. Late-life depression (LLD) is a complex condition that has become widespread among the aging population. Despite the availability of behavioral interventions and psychotherapies, few depressed older adults actually receive treatment. In this paper we review the research on refining treatments for LLD. We first identify evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for LLD and the problems associated with efficacy and dissemination, then review approaches to conceptualizing mental illness, specifically concepts related to brain plasticity and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoc). Finally, we introduce ENGAGE as a streamlined treatment for LLD and discuss implications for future research.

Crisis knowledge management: Reconfiguring the behavioural science community for rapid responding in the Covid-19 crisis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Hahn ◽  
David Lagnado ◽  
Stephan Lewandowsky ◽  
Nick Chater
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Behavioural Science ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Evidence Based Policy ◽  
Science Community ◽  
Minimal Damage ◽  
Support Evidence

The present crisis demands an all-out response if it is to be mastered with minimal damage. This means we, as the behavioural science community, need to think about how we can adapt to best support evidence-based policy in a rapidly changing, high-stakes environment. This piece is an attempt to initiate this process. The ‘recommendations’ made are first stabs that will hopefully be critiqued, debated and improved.

Evidence Based Policy

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Pfaff ◽  
Christopher P. Guzelian
Keyword(s):  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Policy
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document