‘How Can Government Make the Best Use of Evidence?’ was the latest in a series run by the Alliance for Useful Evidence which has been working in Northern Ireland for two and a half years. Peter...

Back in 2015, the Canadian Prime Minister publicly released, for the first time, his instructions to all his ministers. Among these instructions, entitled mandate letters, one was particularly relevant to experimentation. It was addressed to the...

As the dust settles on the recent election, attention now turns to how parliamentarians will use their new mandate to implement their manifesto promises and the effectiveness of such policy-making in this new dispensation. In this...

What is evidence? How do we get hold of it, and once we’ve done so, what do we do with it? Good evidence is the backbone of good scrutiny. Without it, making effective recommendations is impossible....

In order to protect and improve employee health and wellbeing effectively, employers and practitioners need to have access to the best possible evidence-base. However, tracking down good evidence is not always easy: overwhelming amounts of information,...

The EIF is dedicated to improving outcomes for children and young people – reducing short-term hardship and improving long-term outcomes. But although our mission is simple, the evidence base on what works to identify and intervene...

To what extent is an evidence-based approach to commissioning happening at the coal-face – is the theory reflected in practice? And what can commissioners – and service providers – do to ensure that evidence better informs...

So the temptation is just to plough on. Keep calm, ignore the Trump and Brexit tumults, and carry on proselytising for evidence. Perhaps eventually things will calm down. But they won’t. Whatever you think about the...

If like us you’re always hunting for useful resources on the effective use of evidence, then have a look at these reference documents. In recent years there has been a welcome increase in the publication of...

Scotland is trying to change health and social care services to fit society’s needs and is starting to integrate the structures. This is being played out against the backdrop of rising demand and squeezed resources, and...

The walls of my home have absorbed many a philosophical debate about hot topics such as welfare reform, the living wage, immigration and NHS funding. My response to claims I do not agree with is ‘where’s...

NHS commissioning is responsible for spending 2/3 of the NHS budget – around £72 billion in 2016/17 – to meet the health needs of the population. In making decisions on how to best allocate this resource,...