Evidence-based policy: How is it faring in the Trump era?

On July 19, the Brookings Institution hosted an event to mark the publication of a collection of papers on evidence-based policy in the July 2018 volume of The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. The volume, which offers an expansive overview of the movement toward evidence-based policy approaches, contains 17 papers by leading experts or policymakers, including Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.). The event began with comments by Senators Young and Carper on how they use evidence in meeting their responsibilities as policymakers.

The papers explore the history and significance of the evidence-based policy movement, its foundation in empirical research, and the vital role of program evaluation in that research. The papers also address the major elements of the movement, the contributions of government and non-governmental institutions to evidence-based policy, and the views of policymakers.

Following remarks by Senator Young and a recorded message from Senator Carper, a panel assessed how the decades-old movement toward using evidence in public policy is faring in the Trump administration. This event was webcast live.

View the digital version of the July edition of the Annals here.