Increasing the ability of government agencies to undertake evidence-informed policymaking

Numerous studies over several decades have suggested that research evidence does not have the kind of impact on policy decisions that might be expected from the sheer volume and depth of the research base that exists in many policy areas. Ultimately, however, debates about the use of evidence for policy decision-making are over-theorised, and there is no clear picture of the empirical research that demonstrates how policymakers can use evidence in real-life policy decision-making. This systematic review aims to bring together the existing evidence on research use, with a specific focus on studies that investigate how the use of research to inform policy decision-making can be improved. This review finds that interaction and collaboration between researchers and policymakers are a frequently cited method of improving the use of evidence in policymaking, but that more intervention-based research is required to confirm the effectiveness of these strategies.