ABSTRACT
[Q]uite apart from the decision itself, the very process of using research seems to have a beneficial effect on the bureaucratic structures with which democracies govern. Recognizing and confronting areas of ignorance tends to reduce rigidity. Making policies and programs smaller scale, more iterative, and more dependent upon the acquisition of knowledge induces modesty rather than grandiloquence. And incorporating the evaluation mechanisms that allow policies, programs, and performance to be assessed promotes prudence and responsiveness on the part of agency officials. So using research tends to push decision-makers toward moderation, but also toward policies and programs that are more likely to work.
