What counts as evidence for policy? An analysis of policy actors' perceptions

MacKillop, Eleanor ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3345-7499 and Downe, James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0772-3183 2022. What counts as evidence for policy? An analysis of policy actors' perceptions. Public Administration Review 10.1111/puar.13567

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Abstract

Evidence plays a growing role in public administration worldwide. We analyze the perceptions of policy actors, using Q methodology and a structured questionnaire, which reveals four types of profiles. Most policy actors did not fit neatly into an Evidence‐Based Policy‐Making (EBPM) group. Instead, they either had a pragmatic view where context and policy issues influence what counts as evidence, an inclusive position which emphasized the importance of considering a range of different types of evidence, or a political perspective where power relations and politics influence what counts as evidence. Our research also illustrates how different actors in the same community can have different perceptions of evidence, and how this can change over time due to experience and career trajectory.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics) Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP)
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0033-3352
Funders:	ESRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	2 December 2022
Date of Acceptance:	24 September 2022
Last Modified:	13 Jun 2023 15:56
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/154618

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