Evidence-based practices and US state government civil servants: Current use, challenges, and pathways forward
成果类型：
Article
署名作者：
Cheng, Yuan (Daniel); Thompson, Leslie; Wang, Shuping; Marzec, Jules; Xu, Chengxin; Merrick, Weston; Carter, Patrick
署名单位：
University of Minnesota System; University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Syracuse University; Seattle University
刊物名称：
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW
ISSN/ISSBN：
0033-3352
DOI：
10.1111/puar.13878
发表日期：
2025
页码：
9-20
关键词：
摘要：
Leveraging a three-state survey of 323 civil servants and 36 interviews, representing blue and red states, this university-government-nonprofit collaborative research project aims to better understand how civil servants access and use evidence in their decision-making process. Our findings show that 54% of respondents find evidence-based practices (EBPs) useful in making budget, policy, and contracting decisions, with 68% of civil servants anticipating future benefits from evidence use. Our hypothetical funding choice experiment indicates that civil servants prefer programs that are more recent and in their state, identify outcomes over outputs, demonstrate effectiveness for diverse demographic groups, and are evaluated by independent research entities. The main challenges in using EBPs include time constraints, resource limitations, decision-making fragmentation, and lack of evidence for certain communities. Qualitative interviews provide valuable strategies for overcoming these challenges. We conclude this article by offering practical insights for improving the integration of EBPs in state government decision-making processes.