The ‘Evidence and the Politics of Policymaking: where next?’ symposium will address current issues of critical concern regarding the ways in which evidence is used in policy, both domestically and internationally. It is being jointly organised by the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) and the Centre for Development Studies at the University of Bath, and will form part of the University’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The symposium will focus on how research and evidence are used in contemporary policymaking, both in national and multinational contexts. Our aim is to draw together academics, politicians and policymakers to address questions such as:
- What kind of evidence gains legitimacy in policymaking?
- What is the implicit hierarchy of forms of evidence?
- How do different forms of evidence, such as professional knowledge and practical wisdom, find their place alongside or against empirical, quantitative study, and the burgeoning field of data science?
- How do policymakers use evidence, if at all, and how should they think about the relationship between evidence and policy interventions?
- Can technocracy and democracy go together?
- What happens to evidence when traditional policymaking structures are being reconfigured under pressure from populist political parties and other agents?
- What is the role of policy entrepreneurs in evidence gathering and dissemination?
Confirmed keynote and panel speakers so far include Lord Kerslake, Former Head of the Civil Service; Douglas Alexander, former Shadow Foreign Secretary and Secretary for International Development; Professor Nancy Cartwright of Durham University; Carey Oppenheim, CEO of the Early Intervention Foundation and Professor K Srinath Reddy, Public Health Foundation of India.
For more information about the Provisional Programme visit the Event’s Page at the University of Bath’s Institute for Policy Research.