New York University School of Social Work, New York, USA.
Int J Law Psychiatry. 2011 Jul-Aug;34(4):275-82. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2011.07.006. Epub 2011 Jul 31.
Evidence Based Policy has been articulated and practiced in Europe, particularly under the 'New Labour' policies of the former Labour government in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the impact of research on policy has been inconsistent due to differing relationships between researchers and policy makers. This paper gives an overview of evidence based policy and presents critiques based on its reliance on positivist methods and technical approach to policy making. Using these critiques as a framework, the paper discusses the case of Housing First, a policy adopted by the Bush Administration in order to address the problem of chronic homelessness. The case is an example of research driven policy making but also resulted in a progressive policy being promoted by a conservative administration. In discussing the case, the paper elaborates on the relationship between evidence and policy, arguing that evidence based policy fails to integrate evidence and values into policy deliberations. The paper concludes with alternative models of policy decision making and their implications for research.
循证政策在欧洲已经得到明确阐述和实践，特别是在前英国工党政府的“新工党”政策下。而在美国，由于研究人员与政策制定者之间的关系不同，研究对政策的影响一直不一致。本文概述了循证政策，并基于其对实证主义方法和技术方法在政策制定中的依赖，提出了一些批评意见。本文利用这些批评意见作为框架，讨论了“优先安置住房”的案例，这是布什政府为解决长期无家可归问题而采取的一项政策。这是一个研究驱动型政策制定的案例，但也导致了一个保守的政府推动了一项进步的政策。在讨论这个案例时，本文阐述了证据与政策之间的关系，认为循证政策未能将证据和价值观纳入政策审议。本文最后讨论了政策决策的替代模式及其对研究的影响。
