aes19 International Evaluation Conference

Gary VanLandingham (Askew School of Public Administration and Policy)

Advocates have proclaimed that we are entering the age of evidence-based policy-making, in which the data generated by rigorous program evaluations will be used to inform the tough choices governments must make to solve wicked problems around the globe. Many promising developments are spurring this optimism, including big data approaches that transform our ability to assess program outcomes, the growth in research clearinghouses that are curating and aggregating evaluation findings to identify 'what works', and stronger economic models that enable evaluators to readily calculate the return on investment that programs can generate. However, we also face critical challenges including growing political polarization, limited resources for policy experimentation, and skill gaps in the profession. This presentation will discuss these issues and propose concrete steps that must be taken to achieve the field's long-held goals of 'speaking truth to power' and becoming key advisers to policymakers.