Evidence-Based Policy with Influence

Area of Interest: Government and Leadership

Course Summary

This course is designed to provide public servants with the understanding and skills to expand the influence of evidence-based policy (EBP) in their day-to-day policy work. In attending this course, you will learn to match methods to evidence needs, assess the potency of evidence in parliamentary settings, and meet core requirements for robust advice to Ministers.

Led by national and international experts in the field, this course will examine rigorous evidence bases for different audiences, the role of evidence in policy design and evaluation, and the relationships between politics and evidence.

By the end of the course, you will have a contemporary understanding of best practice in the use evidence-based policy, expanded your toolbox with methods for evidence creation, and know how to plan for your evidence to have impact in political settings.

Duration: 1 Day

Delivery Mode: In-person

Course Content

This one-day course addresses contemporary issues around the influential use of evidence-based policy in Australia. It will be delivered in the format of small-group, one-on-one learning with national and international experts in this field.

The course will look at the history of evidence-based policy and the constraints and opportunities for its use, both in terms of methods and politics. It will examine the different roles of evidence in policy creation and evaluation, and will undertake a close analysis of real-world examples of the implementation of evidence-based policy frameworks in political and public sector settings.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Understand the foundations of robust evidence-based policy frameworks
• Assess the opportunities and limitations of evidence for different policy
• Develop practical strategies and tools to enhance the influence of evidence-based policy work

• Plan for and assess, policy success using evidence

Who should attend

This short course is best suited for public sector employees and government relations managers who seek to use evidence to inform their work in public policy. It will also be of interest to peak body or agency executives who are interested in lifting their influence with policy-makers through the timely and effective use of evidence.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Facilitator

Prof. Brenton Prosser

Brenton Prosser is Professor of Public Policy and Leadership at UNSW Canberra. He has worked in senior leadership roles across public, private, health and social service sectors, as well as at leading Australian and UK universities. He was Chief of Staff to Senator Nick Xenophon during the period when he held the balance of power. He was also senior policy and media advisor to the parliamentary leader of the South Australian Democrats.

Brenton has also been a senior executive in the APS, Director with a peak social services body and Director (Policy) with an international management consultancy agency where he specialised in national policy evaluations and helping non-government bodies to build their evidence-base. He was co-author, with Richard Denniss, of Minority Policy: Rethinking Governance when Parliament Matters, which examined the implications of minority government on public policy theory and practice.