Evidence for Social Policy and Practice
This collection of essays discusses the different influences on decision making The first essay discusses Project Oracle: a venture through which collaboration can be developed and maintained between the Government, academia and the wider social intervention community, in an attempt to further evidence based policy making. The essay analyses keys issues such as how Project Oracle can be made practical and discusses this in relation to its current applications. The second essay examines how independent organisations can conduct research to develop innovative ideas to improve the judicial system. The paper uses ?The Centre for Court Innovation? as a case study. The third essay covers the development of the Washington State Institute for Public Policy and the role it performs currently, as set out in the 2009 Legislature. It looks at the history of the Institute and its evolution from an organisation that gave advice on how to lower juvenile crime to an institute that has a direct influence on policy making. The fourth essay looks at the lack of measures available to decision makers detailing the effectiveness of certain development policies and programmes. It also gives insight into the ?Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab? as a leading institute that provides key, accessible and informative data to decision makers allowing them to understand the fundamental issues regarding those in poverty and how to alleviate these.
