Welcome to the Alliance for Evidence Blog.
The Alliance for Useful Evidence has been formed to champion the use of and demand for evidence to help design more effective public services.
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Most people would recognise that we need to improve how we measure the impact of services and programmes. Yet what do we do when an evaluation brings back negative findings? In the quest for 'what works' do we shy away from discussing what doesn't?
14.10.2011Despite decades of producing excellent research its use in decision-making remains limited in many areas of social policy and practice. The answer may not always be generating and gathering more evidence, rather we should focus on stimulating the demand for it.
13.10.2011There is much contention around the use of Randomised Control Trials (RCTS), with examples of their use being blocked or vetoed. Yet if used correctly they can be one of the most powerful tools in helping test whether a service you receive is effective, or indeed harmful.
12.10.2011As an agency tasked with stimulating innovation in the UK a question we're frequently asked is "How can you both stimulate innovation and have an evidence agenda?" We would argue that evidence is a vital part of a functioning innovation system. Research and development is, after all, a traditional cornerstone of innovation systems. If we fail to test and experiment with new innovations, how do we know whether they work?
11.10.2011Since the 1990s the term "evidence-based" has become a central part of public policy discourse in the UK. Yet despite the term becoming common parlance we lack an agreed understanding of what it actually means. What evidence do we need in order to know that a programme "works"? Who does it work for? When and in what situations?
10.10.2011
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