Spotlight Exploring the cultural trends and issues impacting society today EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY A question of evidence Evidence-based policymaking has been used across the UK. But how far is it embedded in government and how can it be improved? Liam Kay finds out Covid-19 provided a considerable boost to the status of evidence-based policymaking. Weve seen data brought into government decision-making in a range of fields, from public health to economics, he says. Weve also seen the government take much more care in how it uses evidence to explain and justify its actions. Data bodies such as the Office for National Statistics have taken a leading role and I think statisticians and data scientists have done a good job in engaging with government, both behind the scenes and publicly to improve communication and understanding of data. At the height of Covid-19, the mantra of Group for Emergencies (Sage), was a follow the science became a justification golden opportunity to showcase the for reams of government policy. It carried benefits of evidence-based policy anti-Covid-19 policy through lockdowns, making. The problem, however, was that social distancing, masks, tiers, travel despite best efforts, the nature of a newly Strength or weakness? restrictions and, eventually, to the end of discovered and highly contagious The benefits of introducing evidencerestrictions altogether. Throughout, the virus was that often policy needed to be based policymaking are multitudinous, pandemic rumbled on. developed and implemented ahead of says Dr Cosmina Dorobantu, co-director The question remains: to what extent sufficient rigorous evidence which was and policy fellow on the public policy was there an evidence base behind much coming to the fore. programme at the Alan Turing Institute. of the Covid-19 policy? Tracey Brown, director at Sense About The most tangible benefit of evidenceAnd it is a theme throughout Science, a campaign organisation calling based policymaking is that the world that government. From education to for more scientific approaches to we live in and the people who inhabit it immigration to transportation, it can policy-making, says that the pandemic are not the subject of a policymakers be hard to separate the policies that underlined a growing scientific literacy experiment, she explains. Without derive from political values and ideology among the general public. evidence-based policymaking, those who from those that come from an evidencePoliticians believe the public is govern us have no other option but to try based approach. intolerant of uncertainty and evidence, various measures in the hope that they Evidence-based policymaking is find one that works. But trial broadly the idea that public and error, in a policymaking policies and decisions should be context, can have long-lasting based on or informed by rigorously consequences on peoples lives. Trial and error, in a policymaking established, objective evidence. If you get it wrong in a context, can have long-lasting Most UK government departments consequences on peoples lives. If you get pandemic, many people will die have a policy formulation it wrong in a pandemic, many people will unnecessarily. If you get it wrong framework, which guides civil in welfare, you are exposing die unnecessarily servants through evidence-based some of the most vulnerable policy development. people to even more hardship. The general approach taken by central If you get it wrong in education, a cohort she says. What we saw at the beginning government in the UK incorporates of children will not have the skills they of the pandemic was an amazing amount working out the rationale for research need in their adult lives. When peoples of tolerance for the government being in and objectives, appraising and analysing lives and livelihoods are on the line, a difficult decision-making role with very the current situation, deciding on a taking some of the guesswork out of little evidence. preferred policy and delivery, what might or might not benefit them is a They could have done more to share implementation, and finally evaluation. duty we all have. the emerging evidence base. The pandemic, given the prominent The problem is that while there For Stian Westlake, chief executive at public role of the Scientific Advisory appears to be plenty of research the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), 14 Impact ISSUE 39 2022_pp14-17_Spotlight.indd 14 23/09/2022 14:55