‘A discourse or set of methods which informs the policy process, rather than aiming to directly affect’ the goals of the policy (Sutcliffe and Court, 2005, p. iii).
Davies (1999) has defined evidence-based policy-making as an approach which ‘helps people make well informed decisions about policies, programmes and projects by putting the best available evidence at the heart of policy development and implementation’ (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2017, p. 6).
Evidence-based policy is public policy informed by rigorously established objective evidence. Across policy areas, the use of strong evidence to choose policy interventions, prioritise funding and implement policies/programmes enhances the likelihood of positive outcomes (Duke University, 2009).