Building Evidence for Evidence-Based Policy Making

摘要: With declining high-school graduation rates and comparatively high of adolescent violence problem behavior in this country, we are a moment great need for effective federal state policy to prevent juvenile delinquency. Leading intellectuals the field, including Ron Haskins (Haskins Baron, 2011), Jon Baron (Baron Haskins, Steve Barnett, have recently called adoption technocracy: They asked makers use science prevention guide making funding. (2011) wrote persuasive essays arguing that if funding decisions were made based on evidence what works, then would experience better population-level outcomes education, crime, child well-being; furthermore, save costs solve deficit crisis. Faith technocracy has won day (mostly) health care: It is virtually impossible enter hospital with disease not both patients physicians call up data its prevalence, course, treatment. Insurance providers make reimbursement evidence. We can point improvements our citizenry result. One might quibble validity empirical evidence, but cannot as public accepted technocratic philosophy should rule medicine. The same be said about energy, environment, economy. But matters affecting children, long way from culture. (2007) summed contrast well: In medicine … rigorous evaluations common, often drive practice. By contrast, education most other areas social policy, such studies relatively rare. In these areas, practice tend driven more by advocacy anecdote than costing billions dollars yet failing produce meaningful educational achievement, employment earnings, or substance abuse criminal behavior. (p. 32)