Lecture Series Spring 2015: How health sciences and health policy interact: therories, challenges and practices

Making evaluation more relevant and useful in the world of health policy: favoured solutions and uncomfortable realities

Date: 4 March 2015
Time: 17.15 h to 19.00 h
Location: HS 10

 

There has been a recent upsurge of advocacy from trialists and policy 'modernisers' for far more use of RCTs as the basis for health and wider public policy.  This is exemplified by the UK Cabinet Office's report 'Test, Learn, Adapt' (2012).  Mainstream policy makers are now being told that they should make policy by experimenting like scientists.  Drawing on experience as an applied health services researcher and policy adviser in government, I will attempt to stimulate reflection on the following questions: how can we explain the timing of this phenomenon; how realistic and helpful is it; and where does it leave the contribution of evaluation in policy? 

Prof. Dr. Nicholas Mays
Professor of Health Policy and Director, Policy Research Unit in Policy Innovation Research
Department of Health Services Research & Policy
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom