文章基本信息

标题：Persistent misunderstandings about evidence-based (sorry: informed!) policy-making
本地全文：下载
作者：Pierre-Olivier Bédard ; Mathieu Ouimet
期刊名称：Archives of Public Health
印刷版ISSN：0778-7367
电子版ISSN：0778-7367
出版年度：2016
卷号：74
期号：1
页码：31
DOI：10.1186/s13690-016-0142-z
语种：English
出版社：BioMed Central
摘要：The field of research on knowledge mobilization and evidence-informed policy-making has seen enduring debates related to various fundamental assumptions such as the definition of ‘evidence’, the relative validity of various research methods, the actual role of evidence to inform policy-making, etc. In many cases, these discussions serve a useful purpose, but they also stem from serious disagreement on methodological and epistemological issues. This essay reviews the rationale for evidence-informed policy-making by examining some of the common claims made about the aims and practices of this perspective on public policy. Supplementing the existing justifications for evidence-based policy making, we argue in favor of a greater inclusion of research evidence in the policy process but in a structured fashion, based on methodological considerations. In this respect, we present an overview of the intricate relation between policy questions and appropriate research designs. By closely examining the relation between research questions and research designs, we claim that the usual points of disagreement are mitigated. For instance, when focusing on the variety of research designs that can answer a range of policy questions, the common critical claim about ‘RCT-based policy-making’ seems to lose some, if not all of its grip.
关键词：Evidence-based policy-making ; Research methods ; Critical rationalism