Policy Library
Policy evidence from official statistics, legislat…
Learning or accountability: what should policy evaluation prioritize?. Break down the recurring debate over whether evaluation should mainly support learning or accountability. Show why the practical answer is usually a balanced design that protects independence while keeping findings usable for improvement.
Policy evaluation keeps running into the same fight: should it mainly prove performance for accountability, or help people learn and improve policy? WHO and OECD say that is a false choice; the goal is both[[cite:1]][[cite:2]]. WHO says evaluation should be conducted as systematically and impartiall...
ViewCan you spot the weak link in an evidence-informed policy system?. Frame the quiz around decision bottlenecks such as commissioning evidence, interpreting results, tracking evaluations, and matching evidence supply to policy demand. Use answer explanations to tie each scenario back to capacity, institutions, and evidence-use practices.
Q1. A ministry is trying to improve a youth programme, but staff have not checked what evidence already exists or where the gaps are before deciding what to commission. Which bottleneck is this? - Commissioning evidence - Interpreting findings - Tracking evaluations - Aligning evidence supply with p...
ViewThe hidden side effects of intergovernmental grants. Summarize the main design risks: fly-paper effects, crowding-out of own taxes, procyclicality, accountability problems, and overloading a single grant instrument. Close with the practical lesson that grant design should match objectives rather than pursue every goal at once.
Intergovernmental grants can do real good, but the OECD warns they also carry hidden side effects. One common risk is the fly paper effect, where recipients increase spending by more than they would after an equal rise in local income. Grants can also crowd out own source taxes, because local govern...
ViewWhat should analysts watch in subnational fiscal outlooks for 2025 to 2027?. Synthesize the OECD outlook evidence on deficits, revenue growth, interest costs, debt service, and debt portfolio monitoring. Organize the report around indicators to track, why each matters, and what policy options or surveillance questions follow.
What analysts should watch in subnational fiscal outlooks for 2025 to 2027 The OECD outlooks point to a common story across 2025 to 2027: subnational government balances have already moved into deficit, revenue growth is slowing, and higher interest costs are continuing to pressure budgets.[[cite:1]...
ViewHow can parliaments make evidence-based lawmaking routine?. Lay out the governance loop from regulatory impact assessment and government-provided evidence to committee scrutiny, consultation transparency, and post-legislative review. Use the Western Balkans findings as the institutional case and connect them to the broader OECD lesson on fit-for-purpose capacity under complexity.
Can parliaments make evidence-based lawmaking routine, not exceptional? OECD says yes, but only if the whole loop works: evidence in drafting, timely access for scrutiny, and follow-up after laws pass[[cite:1]]. In the Western Balkans, that loop is often broken. Not all preparation evidence, includi...
ViewWhen should governments use randomized trials in policy design?. Build a scenario-based knowledge check on randomized trials, counterfactuals, quasi-experimental methods, cost-effectiveness, feasibility, ethics, data access, and skills. Keep the emphasis on choosing the right evaluation method rather than promoting trials as universally superior.
Q1. A ministry wants to know which of two housing support models is most cost-effective for improving the same outcome. What is the best evaluation choice? - Run a randomized trial only and ignore costs - Use an economic evaluation that combines a robust impact estimate with programme costs - Choose...
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