TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of psychology in evidence-based policymaking
T2 - Mapping opportunities for strategic investment in poverty reduction
AU - Crowley, Max
AU - Supplee, Lauren
AU - Scott, Taylor
AU - Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 American Psychological Association.
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - Increasing efforts are being undertaken to understand how to improve the use of research evidence in policy settings. In particular, growing efforts to understand the use of research in legislative contexts. Although high-profile examples of psychology's contributions to public policy exist-particularly around antipoverty legislation-little systematic review has quantified how the field has informed federal policy across time. Recognizing the importance of exploring psychology's use in policymaking, we provide an overview of psychology's presence in federal antipoverty legislation over the last 2 decades by reviewing the over 6,000 antipoverty bills introduced to the U.S. Congress since 1993 for mentions of psychology. Further, to explore how psychology's contributions are related to policymakers' attributions about the causes of poverty, their public statements and voting behavior is considered. Key gaps in our scientific knowledge for informing poverty-related policy are identified. Opportunities to enhance the relevance of psychology in poverty reduction efforts, including the evidence-based policy movement, are described.
AB - Increasing efforts are being undertaken to understand how to improve the use of research evidence in policy settings. In particular, growing efforts to understand the use of research in legislative contexts. Although high-profile examples of psychology's contributions to public policy exist-particularly around antipoverty legislation-little systematic review has quantified how the field has informed federal policy across time. Recognizing the importance of exploring psychology's use in policymaking, we provide an overview of psychology's presence in federal antipoverty legislation over the last 2 decades by reviewing the over 6,000 antipoverty bills introduced to the U.S. Congress since 1993 for mentions of psychology. Further, to explore how psychology's contributions are related to policymakers' attributions about the causes of poverty, their public statements and voting behavior is considered. Key gaps in our scientific knowledge for informing poverty-related policy are identified. Opportunities to enhance the relevance of psychology in poverty reduction efforts, including the evidence-based policy movement, are described.
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U2 - 10.1037/amp0000466
DO - 10.1037/amp0000466
M3 - Article
C2 - 31545641
AN - SCOPUS:85072562914
SN - 0003-066X
VL - 74
SP - 685
EP - 697
JO - American Psychologist
JF - American Psychologist
IS - 6
ER -