Evidence-Based Practice and the Use of Information in State Agency Decision Making

Abstract

The contemporary policy environment makes persistent demands on agency officials to use the best information available when making decisions about policies, programs, and practices. State and federal legislation calls on agencies to incorporate evidence-based practices (EBP) in their programs. Using data from a 2008 survey of state agency directors, we examine the extent to which state government agencies draw upon various sources of information to guide their decisions about programmatic operations. Our findings reveal the extent to which agencies rely on, or weight, sources of scientific studies and formal evaluations compared to other sources. Factor analysis identifies patterns of agency information use, providing a basis for further exploring agency differences in information consultation that underlie development of new policies and programs in the vein of EBP.