Promoting Evidence-Based Policy Making (EBPM) in Non-Western Countries: From the Periphery, a Practitioner’s Perspective on the Challenges

Abstract

From a practitioner’s perspective, this conceptual article examines the challenges in promoting Evidence-Based Policy Making (EBPM) in non-Western, non-affluent developing countries. The focus is on the use of evidence in sectors other than medicine, health care and human services because the scope of public administration is much wider than these three sectors. The article briefly reviews the themes on EBPM in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia and examines the appropriateness of the standard for evidence. It discusses the demand for and the supply of evidence, and presents some suggestions for addressing the challenges that are faced by public administrators in non-Western countries.