The neglected politics behind evidence-based policy: shedding light on instrument constituency dynamics

Abstract

Puzzled by the question why evidence-based policy (EBP) thrives despite evidence against it, we reconstruct the development and spread of EBP in inter- and transnational contexts and find that this process is characterised by some of the same dynamics (including ‘structural promises’ and ‘problem chasing’) that have also been observed in many policy instruments. We therefore propose a double reframing: EBP is (1) a ‘meta-instrument’ aiming to establish a particular role for research in policymaking (our ideational reframing) and (2) co-evolving with an ‘instrument constituency’ motivated not only by normative goals but also by the prospect of securing an occupational niche for itself (our social reframing). Taken together, these reframings reveal the neglected politics behind EBP and prompt us to treat EBP as a political device rather than as an analytical framework to explain how policymaking actually relates to research.