Revisiting the Base in Evidence-Based Policy

Schneider, Mike D. and Slanickova, Helena and Rubin, Hannah and Heesen, Remco and Schwenkenbecher, Anne and Bortolus, Alejandro and Chukwu, Emelda E. and Hewitt, Chad L. and Kaufer, Ricardo and Schwindt, Evangelina and Sogbanmu, Temitope O. and Woolaston, Katie and Yu, Li-an (2025) Revisiting the Base in Evidence-Based Policy. Political Studies.

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Official URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0032...

Abstract

Evidence-based policy (EBP) has become widely embraced for its commitment to greater uptake of scientific knowledge in policymaking. But what legitimizes EBP and in what respect are evidence-based policymaking practices better than other policymaking practices? In this article, we distinguish and refine three potential legitimizers of EBP. We suggest that evidence-based policymaking practices are better because they "follow the science," because they focus on "what works," or because they "follow the rules." We discuss some consequences, for advocates of EBP, of consciously adopting one or other of these legitimizers. Finally, we examine whether it is appropriate to switch from advocating for EBP to advocating for evidence-informed policy.

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Creators	Email	ORCID
Schneider, Mike D.
Slanickova, Helena		0009-0003-5557-9654
Rubin, Hannah
Heesen, Remco	r.heesen@lse.ac.uk	0000-0003-3823-944X
Schwenkenbecher, Anne		0000-0003-2207-3043
Bortolus, Alejandro		0000-0003-3035-315X
Chukwu, Emelda E.		0000-0002-3110-1678
Hewitt, Chad L.		0000-0002-6859-6512
Kaufer, Ricardo
Schwindt, Evangelina		0000-0001-6693-9828
Sogbanmu, Temitope O.		0000-0002-8913-267X
Woolaston, Katie		0000-0001-7652-9347
Yu, Li-an		0000-0002-1210-024X