Bias in the use of evidence for policy: ‘technical bias’ and ‘issue bias’

Advocates of evidence-based policymaking (EBP) often argue that policy decisions are improved when they are informed by rigorous and accurate scientific evidence. However, some critical authors argue that public policies cannot be decided on technical evidence alone. They stress that calls to simply ‘base’ policy on evidence risks ignoring the fundamental importance of politics as a mechanism to debate and choose between multiple competing social concerns, and further risks imposing de facto policy priority on those concerns which have been measured, or those which are conducive to measuring in particular ways. At times, debates between these groups appear to paint an intractable difference of opinion on the role that evidence can or should play in policymaking. However, here we argue that both sides have valid concerns to consider, yet their concerns are very different in nature. For champions of evidence, there is a problem with the politicisation of science – the ways that political interests appear to drive the misuse, manipulation, or cherry picking of evidence to promote political goals. This can otherwise be defined as a concern over technical bias in the use of evidence – evidence utilisation that does not follow principles of scientific best practice (which can include invalid uses of individual pieces of evidence, as well as failing to systematically include all the relevant evidence that best answers a particular question) and which therefore leads to poorer policy outcomes than would otherwise be possible. The critical policy perspective, on the other hand, points to the problems caused by the depoliticisation of politics – in particular the ways in which social values can be obscured or marginalised through the promotion of certain forms or bodies of evidence. This is also a form of bias, but can be alternatively termed issue biasto capture how evidence utilisation can shift the political debate to particular questions or concerns in a non-transparent way. The first form of bias broadly reflects the value of scientific fidelity, while the second broadly reflects the value of democratic representation. This brief defines these concepts and explores the political origins of these different forms of bias in order to help move beyond the debates between evidence champions and critical perspectives, as well as to help guide efforts to avoid bias or mitigate its impact

Evidence-based policymaking - an important first step and the need to move to the next

In recent years, there has been a marked increase in interest in the use of evidence for public policymaking. Yet the vast majority of work in this area has failed to engage with the political nature of decision making and how this influences the ways in which evidence is used (or misused) within political arenas. This series of briefs provides new insights into the nature of political bias with regards to evidence, and critically considers what an ‘improved’ use of evidence would look like from a policymaking perspective. Collectively, it summarises ideas presented in the book: The Politics of Evidence: from Evidence Based Policy to the Good Governance of Evidence – published in 2017 by Routledge, and available from late 2016 electronically for free (open access) (http://bit.ly/2eQ3By2)

Mating rituals of the Oriente Knight Anole

This is where the abstract of this record would appear. This is only demonstration data

Observations on the Green Vine Snake

This is where the abstract of this record would appear. This is only demonstration data

Fire analysis of steel frames with the use of artificial neural networks

The paper presents an alternative approach to the modelling of the mechanical behaviour of steel frame material when exposed to the high temperatures expected in fires. Based on a series of stress-strain curves obtained experimentally for various temperature levels, an artificial neural network (ANN) is employed in the material modelling of steel. Geometrically and materially, a non-linear analysis of plane frame structures subjected to fire is performed by FEM. The numerical results of a simply supported beam are compared with our measurements, and show a good agreement, although the temperature-displacement curves exhibit rather irregular shapes. It can be concluded that ANN is an efficient tool for modelling the material properties of steel frames in fire engineering design studies. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Long-Term Influence of the Practice of Physical Activity on the Self-Perceived Quality of Life of Women with Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: There is still no consensus on the most suitable interventions for exercise practice in breast cancer survivors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a two-year physical activity intervention (strength, aqua fitness and aerobic exercise programs) on the self-perceived quality of life and physical functionality of female breast cancer survivors. Methods: A randomized, controlled, experimental trial with a sample of 316 women (63 +/- 7 years), who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The evaluations were performed using the Rikli & Jones Senior Fitness Test, and the Short Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12). Results: The participants in the strength program showed statistically significant improvements in all the items of the SF-12. The aqua fitness program obtained significant improvements in Physical Functioning and Limitations, Pain and Emotional Limitations, General Health, Vitality, Social Functioning and the physical and mental components of the SF-12. The participants in the aerobic program showed a progressive deterioration of Vitality and Mental Health. Conclusion: When assigning breast cancer survivors to an exercise program, the preferential or predominant activity should include strength exercises. On the other hand, as the second choice, those patients with particularly low levels of Vitality or Physical Limitations will show greater improvement with an aqua fitness program