Tracking and Assessing Use of Research Evidence in Public - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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
10th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation
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INNER-CIRCLE OUTER-CIRCLE
Policymakers
Lobbyists News Media Think Tanks Scientists Special Interests Government Constituents
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“Recent tuition increases at most state universities make it increasingly difficult for people from lower-income families to
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)”
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INSTRUMENTAL USE CONCEPTUAL USE TACTICAL USE POLITICAL USE
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“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).”
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“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).”
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“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).”
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Use of Evidence Interpretation of Evidence Source vs. Supplier of Evidence Goal of Evidence Use
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Codebook Development Manual Coding Training
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Tracking Use Over Time Tracking Use Relative to Policy Process Tracking Use During Policy Windows Time-Series and Survival Analysis
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Research Evidence in Congressional Bills (N = 1461) Research Evidence in Congressional Hearings (N = 3223) Type of evidence Statistical fact** 87% 34% Research study** 10% 25% Expert opinion**
Source of evidence Generic (research shows…)** 63% 25% Government research** 22% 12.5% Academic research* 1.5% 5% Think tank**
Anecdotal evidence**
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Research Evidence in Congressional Bills (N = 1461) Research Evidence in Congressional 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%
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Percent of Research Evidence Referenced U.S. Congress
Conceptual Instrumental Tactical
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Itzhak Yanovitzky: itzhak@rutgers.edu Matthew Weber: matthew.weber@rutgers.edu