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Evidence-Based Practice and the Use of Information in State Agency Decision-Making

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  • Jeremy L. Hall

    (Department of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Dallas
    Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Kentucky)

Abstract

The contemporary policy environment makes persistent demands on agency officials to use the best information available when making decisions about policies, programs, and practices. State and federal legislation calls on agencies to incorporate evidence-based practices in their programs. Using data from a 2008 survey of state agency administrators, we examine the extent to which state government agencies draw upon various sources of information to guide their decisions about programmatic operations. Our findings reveal the extent to which agencies rely on, or weight, scientific studies and formal evaluations compared to other sources. The paper offers new insights into the use of information, particularly scientific evidence, in state agency decision-making, offering the first systematic look at how widely such information is used.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeremy L. Hall, 2009. "Evidence-Based Practice and the Use of Information in State Agency Decision-Making," Working Papers 2009-10, University of Kentucky, Institute for Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations.
    • Handle: RePEc:ifr:wpaper:2009-10
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    File URL: http://www.ifigr.org/publication/ifir_working_papers/IFIR-WP-2009-10.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robinson, Peter, 2000. "Active Labour-Market Policies: A Case of Evidence-Based Policy-Making?," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 16(1), pages 13-26, Spring.
    2. Thomas D. Cook & William R. Shadish & Vivian C. Wong, 2008. "Three conditions under which experiments and observational studies produce comparable causal estimates: New findings from within-study comparisons," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(4), pages 724-750.
    3. Eugene Bardach, 2004. "Presidential address-The extrapolation problem: How can we learn from the experience of others?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(2), pages 205-220.
    4. Malcolm Maclure & Tanya M. Potashnik, 1997. "What is Direct Evidence-Based Policy-Making? Experience from the Drug Benefits Program for Seniors in British Columbia," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 23(s1), pages 132-146, Spring.
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