Evidence-based policymaking in times of acute crisis : comparing the use of scientific knowledge in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy

Hadorn, Susanne; Sager, Fritz; Mavrot, Céline; Malandrino, Anna; Ege, Jörn

doi:10.1007/s11615-022-00382-x

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-26213

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Evidence-based policymaking in times of acute crisis : comparing the use of scientific knowledge in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy
Authors:	Hadorn, Susanne Sager, Fritz Mavrot, Céline Malandrino, Anna Ege, Jörn
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.1007/s11615-022-00382-x 10.21256/zhaw-26213
Published in:	Politische Vierteljahresschrift
Volume(Issue):	63
Issue:	2
Page(s):	359
Pages to:	382
Issue Date:	2022
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Springer
ISSN:	0032-3470 1862-2860
Language:	English
Subjects:	COVID-19; Crisis management; Evidence-based policy; Expert system
Subject (DDC):	320: Politics
Abstract:	This article studies how different systems of policy advice are suited to provide relevant knowledge in times of acute crisis. The notion of evidence-based policymaking (EBP) originated in the successful 1997 New Labour program in the United Kingdom to formulate policy based not on ideology but on sound empirical evidence. We provide a brief overview of the history of the concept and the current debates around it. We then outline the main characteristics of the policy advisory systems in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy through which scientific knowledge-in the form of either person-bound expertise or evidence generated through standard scientific processes-was fed into policy formulation processes before the COVID-19 crisis. Whereas EBP takes place in the form of institutionalized advisory bodies and draws on expertise rather than on evidence in Germany, the system in Switzerland focuses more on the use of evidence provided through external mandates. Italy has a hybrid politicized expert system. The article then analyzes how this different prioritization of expertise vs. evidence in the three countries affects policymakers' capacity to include scientific knowledge in policy decisions in times of acute crisis. The comparison of the three countries implies that countries with policy advisory systems designed to use expertise are better placed to incorporate scientific knowledge into their decisions in times of acute crisis than are countries with policy advisory systems that relied primarily on evidence before the COVID-19 crisis.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/26213
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International
Departement:	School of Management and Law
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Public Management (IVM)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen School of Management and Law

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Hadorn, S., Sager, F., Mavrot, C., Malandrino, A., & Ege, J. (2022). Evidence-based policymaking in times of acute crisis : comparing the use of scientific knowledge in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 63(2), 359–382. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11615-022-00382-x

Hadorn, S. et al. (2022) ‘Evidence-based policymaking in times of acute crisis : comparing the use of scientific knowledge in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy’, Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 63(2), pp. 359–382. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11615-022-00382-x.

S. Hadorn, F. Sager, C. Mavrot, A. Malandrino, and J. Ege, “Evidence-based policymaking in times of acute crisis : comparing the use of scientific knowledge in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy,” Politische Vierteljahresschrift, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 359–382, 2022, doi: 10.1007/s11615-022-00382-x.

HADORN, Susanne, Fritz SAGER, Céline MAVROT, Anna MALANDRINO und Jörn EGE, 2022. Evidence-based policymaking in times of acute crisis : comparing the use of scientific knowledge in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Politische Vierteljahresschrift. 2022. Bd. 63, Nr. 2, S. 359–382. DOI 10.1007/s11615-022-00382-x

Hadorn, Susanne, Fritz Sager, Céline Mavrot, Anna Malandrino, and Jörn Ege. 2022. “Evidence-Based Policymaking in Times of Acute Crisis : Comparing the Use of Scientific Knowledge in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.” Politische Vierteljahresschrift 63 (2): 359–82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11615-022-00382-x.

Hadorn, Susanne, et al. “Evidence-Based Policymaking in Times of Acute Crisis : Comparing the Use of Scientific Knowledge in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.” Politische Vierteljahresschrift, vol. 63, no. 2, 2022, pp. 359–82, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11615-022-00382-x.