Conclusion: Reflecting on Studying Evidence Use from a Public Policy Perspective

Abstract

This final chapter reflects on the insights provided by the case studies that constitute this volume, focussing on the key questions which informed the broader research programme from which the cases arise: what does it mean to use evidence effectively to inform health policymaking?; and how do political and institutional factors shape the specific forms of evidence use that arise in different contexts? It discusses the circumstances in which instrumental or strategic uses of evidence were seen; as well as synthesising insights about the ways in which political contestation, the framing and construction of policy problems and their solutions, and different institutional arrangements for policy delivery shape evidence use in different policy contexts. The chapter concludes by considering future areas of research in this field to provide further insights into the use of evidence for health policymaking from a public policy perspective.