Tracking and Assessing Use of Research Evidence in Public Policymaking Processes: A Theory-Grounded Methodology Itzhak Yanovitzky and Matthew Weber Rutgers University 10th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation
Evidence Use in Public Policymaking 2
Policy Ecosystems Government Lobbyists News Media Policymakers OUTER-CIRCLE INNER-CIRCLE Special Interests Think Tanks Constituents Scientists 3
Conceptualizing Evidence Use 4
Claim-Evidence-Warrant “Recent tuition increases at most state universities make it increasingly difficult for people from lower-income families to obtain a college degree ( evidence ), thus we should cap tuition increases ( claim ) in order to maintain our national commitment to make public education accessible to students from all economic backgrounds ( warrant or logical link between evidence and claim )” 5
Use of Evidence Typology INSTRUMENTAL USE CONCEPTUAL USE TACTICAL USE POLITICAL USE 6
Instrumental Use “Over two years, SNAP sales have increased 335 percent within our farmers’ market network, and 77 percent of Philly Food Bucks users report an increased intake of fruits and vegetables ( evidence ). So the evaluation has shown that Philly Food Bucks is working to encourage healthier eating and our farmers like it, too ( claim & warrant ).” 7
Conceptual Use “The prevalence of overweight and obesity has almost doubled among America’s children and adolescents since 1980, and it is estimated that one out of five children is obese ( evidence ). This epidemic growth in childhood obesity is particularly threatening to the national health ( claim ) because it often persists into adulthood and increases the risk for some chronic diseases later in life ( warrant ).” 8
Tactical Use “Food insecurity is a problem, but among children, it is relatively limited ( claim ). For example, according to the last data we have, about 1 child in 150 will miss even a single meal in a given month because of lack of resources within the family ( evidence ). This and other considerable evidence suggests that all of the federal nutrition programs, food stamps, the school programs, WIC and so forth, are actually associated with increased obesity ( warrant ).” 9
Content & Thematic Analysis Use of Evidence Source vs. Supplier of Evidence Interpretation of Evidence Goal of Evidence Use 10
Project Description 11
Document Analysis Methodology Codebook Development Training Manual Coding 12
Longitudinal Analysis Methodology Tracking Use During Policy Windows Tracking Use Over Time Time-Series and Survival Analysis Tracking Use Relative to Policy Process 13
Use of Research Evidence Research Evidence in Research Evidence in Congressional Bills (N = 1461) Congressional Hearings (N = 3223) Type of evidence Statistical fact** 87% 34% Research study** 10% 25% Expert opinion** - 13% Source of evidence Generic (research shows…)** 63% 25% Government research** 22% 12.5% Academic research* 1.5% 5% Think tank** - 5.5% Anecdotal evidence** - 31% 14
Use of Research Evidence Research Evidence in Research Evidence in Congressional Congressional Bills (N = 1461) Hearings (N = 3223) Purpose of evidence use Instrumental use** 3.5% 24.5% Conceptual use** 94% 67% Tactical use** 2% 16.5% Use of evidence in policy arguments Establish objective status of problem** 74% 36% Establish cause of problem** 17% 26% Suggest possible solution to problem** 8% 28% Justify recommended policy response** 0.5% 9.5% 15
Conceptual Instrumental Tactical Percent of Research Evidence Referenced U.S. Congress 16
17
Thank you! Itzhak Yanovitzky: itzhak@rutgers.edu Matthew Weber: matthew.weber@rutgers.edu 18
Recommend
More recommend
