Creating and using the evidence base: the case of the Active Ageing Index

Abstract

The value of evidence-based policy-making depends on the quality and robustness of the available data. Many conceptual and operational difficulties restrict the comparability of the data collected in large-scale international surveys and their usefulness as an evidence base. Taking the Active Ageing Index (AAI) as a case study, this article argues that a greater understanding of the context of data sourcing and application is vital to the usefulness and transferability of the evidence generated. The difficulties of determining the effectiveness of evidence-based policy must also be understood in the context of the economic and political volatility of particular countries and, possibly, different traditions across nations in applied and academic research. Drawing on recent AAI findings, the article suggests how the AAI could be used most effectively as a toolkit by policy-makers seeking to devise evidence-informed active ageing strategies.