The DOI matches its Crossref record; 25 of the 26 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Evidence-based Policy: In Search of a Method
Abstract
Evaluation research is tortured by time constraints. The policy cycle revolves quicker than the research cycle, with the result that `real time' evaluations often have little influence on policy making. As a result, the quest for evidence-based policy has turned increasingly to systematic reviews of the results of previous inquiries in the relevant policy domain. However, this shifting of the temporal frame for evaluation is in itself no guarantee of success. Evidence, whether new or old, never speaks for itself. Accordingly, there is debate about the best strategy of marshalling bygone research results into the policy process. This article joins the imbroglio by examining the logic of the two main strategies of systematic review: `meta-analysis' and `narrative review'. Whilst they are often presented as diametrically opposed perspectives, this article argues that they share common limitations in their understanding of how to provide a template for impending policy decisions. This review provides the background for Part II of the article (to be published in the next issue, Evaluation 8[3]), which considers the merits of a new model for evidence-based policy, namely `realist synthesis'.
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“Our charting approach was akin to a 'narrative review' (Pawson 2002: 171)”
From Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework (2005) · cites this paper as Pawson 2002: 171
Citations
Cites
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework
Arksey, H., & O'Malley, L. (2005) · International Journal of Social Research Methodology · doi:10.1080/1364557032000119616 · Cited by 36,742
“Simply producing a short summary or profile of each study does not guarantee helping those readers who might have to make important decisions based on the study findings (Pawson, 2002).”
BackgroundMethodDeveloping design propositions through research synthesis
Denyer, D., Tranfield, D., & van Aken, J. E. (2008) · Organization Studies · doi:10.1177/0170840607088020 · Cited by 1,057
“For example, ‘naming and shaming’ works well in many contexts, but when used in the non-payment of council tax in the UK, it was found for certain communities to create ‘heroes’ rather than ‘villains’ (Pawson 2002a).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialRousseau, D. M., Manning, J., & Denyer, D. (2008) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/19416520802211651 · Cited by 1,083
Guidance on the conduct of narrative synthesis in sytematic reviews
Popay, J., Roberts, H. M., Sowden, A. J., Petticrew, M. P., Arai, L., Rodgers, M., & Britten, N. (2006) · Cited by 690
Realist synthesis - an introduction
Pawson, R., Greenhalgh, T., Harvey, G., & Walshe, K. (2004) · UCL Discovery (University College London) · Cited by 570
Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Pawson, R.
- Affiliations
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Pawson, Ray
- ORCID
- Pawson, Ray
- Venue
- Evaluation
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2002-04
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 157-181
- ISSN
- 1356-3890 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7153
- OpenAlex
- W2073020593
- Semantic Scholar
- 0a46f8e2fe3872100f441ff87ecd471f3fcf7e09
- Cited by
- 403
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 22
- FWCI
- 17.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Evaluation (publishedVersion)
- OpenGrey (Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Evaluation and Performance Assessment
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Policy Implementation Science
- Keywords
- evidence-based policy, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, realist synthesis, policy cycle, science-policy interface, policy decision-making
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