ABSTRACT
Many Western states have recently witnessed calls for evidence-based approaches to policy that take into account research on ‘what works’ (van der Arend, 2014; HM Government, 2012). Indeed, although the concept of evidence-based policy (EBP) is far from new and has long been part of the health sector debate in some countries, advocates have lately pushed for its inclusion in areas of social policy ranging from criminal justice to education (e.g. Puttick, 2012). Governments faced with tight budgets, and more recent widespread austerity measures, have welcomed the politically popular possibility that EBP might lead to both better outcomes for their societies, and a reduction in government waste (Kohli, 2012; Nutley, 2010).
