What is the evidence on evidence-informed policy making? - INASP

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How <strong>evidence</strong>-based <strong>is</strong> policy: Examining <strong>the</strong> extent to which ex<strong>is</strong>ting policy <strong>is</strong> informed by <strong>evidence</strong> A number of presentations examined ex<strong>is</strong>ting policies and examined <strong>the</strong> extent to which <strong>the</strong>y had been informed by research <strong>evidence</strong>. Martin Obermaier (Germany) explained <strong>the</strong> challenges encountered by <strong>the</strong> Brazilian Government with regards to climate change adaptation strategic policy planning for specific leg<strong>is</strong>lation and sectorial climate change plans. He compared use of <strong>evidence</strong> in policy making to <strong>evidence</strong>-informed medicine stating ‘If doctors are expected to base <strong>the</strong>ir dec<strong>is</strong>ions on <strong>the</strong> findings of research surely politicians should do <strong>the</strong> same’. Martin found that <strong>evidence</strong> was used to inform policy dec<strong>is</strong>ions, however it tended to be limited only to <strong>is</strong>sues of economic impact ra<strong>the</strong>r than on ‘big picture’ <strong>is</strong>sues related to framing <strong>the</strong> debate and considering alternative options. In addition, he noted that <strong>evidence</strong> was often used to back up pre-ex<strong>is</strong>ting political positions. Martin’s findings were strongly echoed in Emma Broadbent’s presentation about use of <strong>evidence</strong> in African policy debates. She found that research played a relatively minor role in <strong>the</strong> framing of policy debates and that <strong>the</strong>re was poor understanding of <strong>the</strong> differences between research and o<strong>the</strong>r forms of <strong>evidence</strong>. In addition, she found that research <strong>evidence</strong> was often used to back up pre-defined arguments. Thus while references to research <strong>evidence</strong> in policy debates were quite frequent, <strong>the</strong> actual role that research played in influencing policy was weak. Ra<strong>the</strong>r than investigating a policy formulation, Taofeeq Yekinni (Nigeria) investigated <strong>the</strong> role that research <strong>evidence</strong> played in policy implementation. He focused on implementation of agricultural policies in Oyo state of Nigeria. He found that technocrats implementing <strong>the</strong> policy rarely carried out research to assess <strong>the</strong> needs of farmers. Nei<strong>the</strong>r did <strong>the</strong>y carry out pilot implementation phases to test <strong>the</strong> efficacy of new policies. Th<strong>is</strong> lack of <strong>evidence</strong> contributed to significant m<strong>is</strong>matches between <strong>the</strong> priorities identified by farmers and those prioritized by <strong>the</strong> technocrats. Th<strong>is</strong> situation was exacerbated by high levels of ‘leakage’ of government funds – a problem identified by both <strong>the</strong> farmers and <strong>the</strong> technocrats <strong>the</strong>mselves. Page 11
Two ongoing studies examining use of <strong>evidence</strong> in <strong>the</strong> development of a specific policy document were presented. Ng'ang'a Kibandi (Kenya) assessed <strong>the</strong> strength of research <strong>evidence</strong> called upon in <strong>the</strong> process of passing <strong>the</strong> Kenya Biosafety Act of 2009 by reviewing <strong>the</strong> draft bill and documented minutes of <strong>the</strong> various readings, committee report and <strong>the</strong> Act. Justice Nonvignon (Ghana) <strong>is</strong> exploring <strong>the</strong> relevance and use of health economics research in <strong>the</strong> development of health policies in Ghana by using <strong>the</strong> National Health Insurance Bill (2011) as a case study. Both presenters stressed <strong>the</strong> importance of using rigorous processes to assess use of <strong>evidence</strong> in policy making. The debate following <strong>the</strong>se presentations generated some main trends. It was noted that research-<strong>evidence</strong> <strong>is</strong> often used opportun<strong>is</strong>tically to back up pre-ex<strong>is</strong>ting political dec<strong>is</strong>ions/opinions (confirmation bias). Yekinni’s presentation reminded participants that use of <strong>evidence</strong> <strong>is</strong> not only important for <strong>the</strong> development of policy but also for its implementation. Finally, <strong>the</strong> session highlighted <strong>the</strong> need for better tools and methodologies which could be used to assess <strong>the</strong> extent to which policies are based on <strong>evidence</strong>. The use of expert reviews of policy outputs was used in a number of studies and some fur<strong>the</strong>r development and sharing of th<strong>is</strong> methodology would be beneficial for <strong>the</strong> community. Building capacity for <strong>evidence</strong>-informed research: Exploring capacity building strategies to build both <strong>the</strong> supply of and demand for research There has been a great deal of interest amongst international development donors in stimulating demand for research <strong>evidence</strong> by building <strong>the</strong> capacity of policy makers to use it however, as yet, few approaches have been implemented and assessed for impact. The presentations d<strong>is</strong>cussed below introduced some innovative programmes for building capacity. There <strong>is</strong> now an urgent need to evaluate <strong>the</strong> effectiveness of such approaches. Jesse Chigozie Uneke (Nigeria) led a capacity building project which focussed on targeted training in relevant skills for policy makers of <strong>the</strong> Nigerian state of Ebony Page 12
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