Professor Ron Johnston

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Evidence-based Policy MakingSome Issues

• presented by
• Professor Ron Johnston
• Australian Centre for Innovation
• IPTS Seminar
• 17 October 2005
• Sevilla

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Recent Headlines

• Big Brother not required by First Minister The
  Scotsman
• Tender foreign economic aid-related services
  EUR-OP
• Check unethical health practices The Hindu
• Sure Start What a Waste Daily Mail
• Danger major quango ahead The Scotsman

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An Example the Campbell Collaboration

• The challenge safety and efficacy
• Disasters whole-language reading, driver
  education at school, scared straight justice,
  3 strikes, youre out
• So, experiment first, make policy later
• Their approach - systematic evaluative review of
  policy interventions, selection of most
  effective, and publication of authoritative
  guidance

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What is EBPM?

• An approach that helps people make well-informed
  decisions about policies, programmes and projects
  by putting the best available evidence from
  research at the heart of policy development and
  implementation (CERI/OECD, 2004)

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As opposed to OBPM

• Relies heavily on either the selective use of
  evidence or on the untested views of individuals
  or groups, often inspired by ideological
  standpoints, prejudices or speculative conjecture
  (CERI/OECD, 2004)

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Experience from History
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Some Observations

• Intelligence has nothing to do with politics
• (Winston Churchill)
• Policy-making is the art of looking for trouble,
  finding it, mis-diagnosing it, and then applying
  the wrong remedies
• (Groucho Marx)
• If you dont know where you are going, any road
  will get you there
• (Lewis Carroll)

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But we are faced with different types of problems

• Type 1 responsibility for solving a problem
  rests solely with government
• Type 2 responsibility for solving a problem
  rests with both the government and the governed
• Type 3 no feasible solution to a problem
  exists, so government and governed must work
  together to deal with a situation that neither
  can change, at least in the short term

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Why is EBPM Needed Now?

• Complexity, uncertainty, speed of change
• Better informed public with greater demands
• Key policy issues overlap
• An inter-connected, inter-dependent world
• National issues become international issues
• Growing demand on solutions that work across
  boundaries
• Demand to bring about visible change in the real
  world

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EBPM is embedded in concept of professional
policy making

• Key competencies
• Forward looking
• Outward looking
• Flexible and innovative
• Evidence-based
• Involve key stakeholders
• Inclusive
• Joined up
• Continuous improvement
• Evaluation-based learning

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Key Issues IThe Nature of Policy-Making

• The Interface of Policy-making with Politics
• Power/Influence versus Rationality
• The Power of Myths

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Key Issues IIConstraints on Policy-Makers
Access to Evidence

• Time demands preclude research
• Information overload
• Information evaluation
• Information gaps
• You dont know what evidence you need or dont
  have
• Where is the cross-cutting evidence for
  cross-cutting policy?

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Key Issues IIIThe Nature of Evidence

• Information or knowledge
• Codified or tacit
• Expert or interest-based
• Reliability
• Relevance
• Translation
• Fit

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Key Issues IVThe Role of Evidence

• Straightforward issues get the facts
• Complex issues facts/expert judgments are
  always challengeable
• Instrumental versus Transformative
• Agenda setting
• Providing a language of discourse
• Active learning

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A Case StudyDesert Knowledgein Central
Australia
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Implications for IPTS

• Policy makers need to establish what they will
  need to know
• The challenge of joining up structures for
  horizontal research (eg Canada)
• Creating policy knowledge pools
• Establishing and applying good practice