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5. Supplies links to evidence providers

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

Policy Hub: To be the first port of call for promoting improvements in policy-making and delivery.

Government Social Research Unit, HM Treasury

Website

Click here to go to the Policy Hub home page.

Gathers evidence for wider dissemination

Provides access to sources of evidence

Encourages knowledge sharing

Encourages best practice

Supplies links to evidence providers

Launched in March 2002

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

International Comparisons in Policy-Making: To enable practitioners to improve the quality of public policy development and delivery in the United Kingdom by easing access to reliable and relevant international policy-making experience and increasing the use of that information.

Civil Service College Directorate, CMPS

Evidence based 'how to' guide

Place on Policy Hub website. Click here to go to the web-based International Comparisons in Policy-Making toolkit on Policy Hub.

Provides access to sources of evidence

Encourages knowledge sharing

Encourages best practice

Supplies links to evidence providers

Launched in March 2002

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

Government Action Plan for small business: The Evidence Base - published on 8 January 2004. An Evidence Base was also published which complements
the Plan by providing a more detailed analysis of the evidence justifying
the case for government action for each of the seven strategic themes.

Small Business Service

Electronic versions are available for the Plan and the evidence base (pdf)

'The Evidence Base illustrates the importance that the Small Business Service
attaches to the accumulation and use of knowledge and to making sure that
all policy decisions which affect small businesses are underpinned by sound
evidence and analysis.'

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

Government Social Research website: To provide an overview of government social research as a whole, promote the role of social research and make evidence more accessible.

Government Social Research Unit, HM Treasury

Website

Supplies links to evidence providers

live

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

Evidence for Policy Choice: For Departments to provide an assessment of the evidence underpinning each Public Service Agreement (PSA) objective.

Under each objective, drivers and policy levers have been enumerated and the research questions and evidence already gathered on the effectiveness of policies has been presented.

The site will also provide a monitoring mechanism for assessing progress in evidence based policy-making.

Public Service Delivery Analysis Team, HM Treasury

Website

Provides access to sources of evidence

Encourages knowledge sharing

Supplies links to evidence providers

Website to be launched.

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

Knowhow in Her Majesty's Treasury: To enable Treasury people to track down expertise and knowledge held by Treasury colleagues - pilot project at present (Feb 2002).

HM Treasury

Enhanced directory on intranet

Supplies links to evidence providers

Encourages knowledge sharing

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

Children and Young People email alert & Knowledge Pool:

To provide a one-stop source for Treasury personnel working in the policy area of children, young people & families.

HM Treasury

Knowledge pool held on intranet.

Weekly e-mail alerting service (available for free to anybody working in this policy area, across government, think tanks, voluntary & community sector, research bodies. Please contact cyp.webmaster@hm-treasury.gov.uk to request a sample copy)

Gathers evidence from government departments (public domain), quality press, think tanks, voluntary & community sector, research bodies for wider dissemination

Provides access to sources of evidence

Encourages knowledge sharing and good practice.

Supplies links to evidence providers

Pilot Knowledge Pool Live

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

New Sites for Analysts: Library updates web pages to provide links for sites of interest to analysts. This is complemented by an e-mail alerting service.

HM Treasury

Library website

Supplies links to evidence providers

Provides access to sources of evidence

Live

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

Internally cross-cutting evaluation and appraisal steering groups: To promote the use of evidence-based policy-making, review research activity in their areas, identify gaps and overlaps, and set priorities.

Department for Education and Skills (DfES)

Steering groups for

DfES as a whole; Schools;
Post-16 and Youth Policy

Gathers evidence for wider dissemination

Provides access to sources of evidence

Encourages best practice

Supplies links to evidence providers

Encourages knowledge sharing

Live

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

External Advisory Panels: To provide a forum where internal and external representatives can review the available evidence, discuss policy options and identify gaps in knowledge.

Department for Education and Skills (DfES)

Policy-research seminars

Provides access to sources of evidence

Encourages knowledge sharing

Supplies links to evidence providers

Live

3 panels, covering early years and schools issues, issues around the 14-19 age group, and around lifelong learning, higher education and skills.

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

Strategic Futures Project: To identify some of the key challenges - both threats and opportunities - which the government is likely to encounter over the next 10-20 years.

Strategy Unit, Cabinet Office

Identification and scoping of strategic cross cutting challenges, which might affect how Government functions over the next 10-20 years.

Co-ordination of a series of seminars with senior civil servants, academics and business experts to discuss strategic futures issues.

Additionally, the co-ordination of a group of strategic planners from Whitehall, the Devolved Administrations and the European Commission to promote consideration and discussion of strategic cross-cutting issues and to develop and share best practice in futures work

Ad hoc research papers on key futures issues.

Gathers evidence for wider dissemination

Provides access to sources of evidence

Encourages knowledge sharing

Encourages good practice

Supplies links to evidence providers

All strands of work are in progress and work completed so far can be found on the SU website.

Click here to visit the Strategy Unit website.

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

Strategic Policy Unit, National Assembly for Wales (NAW): To support and promote evidence-based policy-making

Strategic Policy Unit (SPU), National Assembly for Wales (NAW)

Amongst a range of activities outputs include:

Better Policy Week: programme included a variety of events designed to publicise and promote evidence-based policy-making.

Developed a suite of consultation tools intended to provide a more consistent and process driven means of engaging with outside interests.

Developing a guidance web page for policy-making which will include links to best practice project management work and incorporate IT consultation and other tools as they are developed.

Examining training implications for consultation tools and policy-making in general.

Encourages knowledge sharing

Encourages good practice

Supplies links to evidence providers

Live

Name and Aim(s) of initiative

Lead organisation

Output

Characteristics

Status

Research and Development Co-ordination Unit, National Assembly for Wales (NAW): As well as supporting the professional development of research staff, the unit is actively involved in promoting best practice and the importance of evidence-based policy-making.

Research and Co-ordination Unit, National Assembly for Wales (NAW)

Skills audit of officials involved in research, development and evaluation will be used to create a 'can do' directory to promote methodological knowledge sharing and best practice.

Developed databases to improve access to evidence from research projects undertaken by the National Assembly for Wales (NAW) or commissioned by the department.

Currently working to develop a Research, Development and Evaluation internet site through which databases, research forum best practice guide and other information useful for evidence-based policy-making will be made available.

Gathers evidence for wider dissemination

Provides access to sources of evidence

Encourages knowledge sharing

Encourages good practice

Supplies links to evidence providers

Live