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Enjoyed a @UCLSTEaPP seminar by Tracey Brown @senseaboutsci looking at communication of evidence in policy decisions.
I really liked the 'Evidence of Transparency' framework - how easy is it for someone outside government to see what is being proposed, and why.
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I really liked the 'Evidence of Transparency' framework - how easy is it for someone outside government to see what is being proposed, and why.
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Each policy by a government department is scored based on diagnosis, proposal, implementation and testing & evaluation.
At each of these points, can you tell what evidence has been used, and can you tell if the gov has used/assessed this evidence?
Then scored 0 to 3
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At each of these points, can you tell what evidence has been used, and can you tell if the gov has used/assessed this evidence?
Then scored 0 to 3
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Such a simple framework, and useful for a) the public, so that we can decide whether we trust the policy, b) researchers, to find gaps, and c) government so they can build on prior work.
We've recently seen how trust plays a big part in adherence to public health policy...
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We've recently seen how trust plays a big part in adherence to public health policy...
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The report looks at 12 UK gov departments and selects 6 or 8 polices per department and analysed documents that were available at the point at which the gov first publicly set out the policy. Scorers then assess the docs against the framework.
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Full report for 2016 - 2017 policies: https://senseaboutscience.org/activities/transparency-evidence-spot-check/
As with a lot of projects, one of the findings is that information on whether the policy works (Testing & Evaluation) frequently scores low. There is 'scope to improve the description of the plans' to the public.
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As with a lot of projects, one of the findings is that information on whether the policy works (Testing & Evaluation) frequently scores low. There is 'scope to improve the description of the plans' to the public.
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What does it mean to test and evaluate a policy? The report highlights an example of using a table of 'what success looks like' with the ambition, the deliverable, and the measurement. Measurement includes things like amount, spread, and responses (see p. 25).
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The report suggests (in 2017) that it is unclear whether the gov 'has no serious plans to [know whether policy is working] or that departments are cagey about setting it out, or that they are not communicating it' and that 'we cannot tell...which one it is'.
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Anyway, I liked this report, so you get a thread on it.
Do any other governments (or policy think tanks) get spot checked like this? Seems like the UK is ahead, and I'm interested in seeing this approach in Australia.
Fin.
Do any other governments (or policy think tanks) get spot checked like this? Seems like the UK is ahead, and I'm interested in seeing this approach in Australia.
Fin.
