The What Works Centres: Lessons and Insights from an Evidence Movement

Front Cover
The What Works Centres: Lessons and Insights from an Evidence Movement
Copyright information
Table of contents
List of figures
List of abbreviations
Notes on contributors
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Part I
	1 The scene is set
		Why is this?
		Notes
		References
	2 How did we get here? What Works in the UK? A personal journey
		What a difference leadership makes
		Investment and infrastructure (uneasy collaboration and competition)
		The elephant in the room: what was meant by evidence?
		Research impact carrots and sticks
		Devolution
		Learning by doing
		Conclusion
		Note
		References
	3 The role of NICE in the evidence-based health system
		The guidelines
		Why did it work?
		An expanded role
		Challenges
		How far is NICE a model for others?
		Notes
		References
	4 What works in crime and policing: getting closer to the frontline
		Why What Works in a crime and policing context
		What success would look like and how would it be delivered
			Increased access: toolkit and standards
			Getting the evidence used in the policing context
		Pulling all the levers
		How far have we got and what lessons have we learned?
			Getting it shared: easily accessible evidence which is timely
			Improving the pipeline: getting more evidence
			Getting the evidence used at all levels
			Widening the network of innovators and early adopters
		Where next?
		Acknowledgements
		Notes
		References
	5 The Education Endowment Foundation: building the role of evidence in the education system
		Evidence generation
		Evidence synthesis
		Evidence mobilisation
		The future of evidence in education
		Note
		References
	6 Audiences first, evidence second: lessons from the Early Intervention Foundation
		Introduction
		Start with what your audiences’ need
		Be clear what you mean by evidence
		Focus on getting evidence used
		Build strong partnerships and relationships
		Measure your impact
		Conclusion
		Note
		References
	7 Overcoming the youth employment evidence challenge
		Introduction
		Generating evidence in a fragmented policy and practice context and a fluctuating labour market
			From development to impact
			Understanding the youth employment system
			Fluctuating labour markets
			Next steps
		Engaging employers in evidence
			Employer Advisory Board
			Rapid Evidence Assessments
		Involving young people in what works
			Participation in practice
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	8 ‘Pulling rather than pushing’: a demand-led approach to evidence mobilisation
		Introduction
		Identifying evidence needs
		Convening evidence
		Communicating evidence
		Advancing understanding of evidence use
		Advocating for evidence use
		Conclusion
		References
	9 The What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth: some lessons from the first ten years
		Introduction
		Phase 1: Evidence reviews – what works?
			Systematic evidence reviews
			A focus on impact evaluations
			A focus on key economic outcomes
			Piloting, scoring, iterating, updating
		Phase 2: Toolkits – what works best?
		Phase 3: Demonstrators and evaluation support – helping to fill the evidence gaps
		Conclusions
		Disclaimer
		Note
Part II
	10 Criticisms and challenges of the What Works Centres
		Ten challenges and criticisms
			1. Audiences and coverage: the challenge of focus
			2. The marmite factor: criticism of randomised controlled trials
			3. The evidence won’t travel: the contextual challenge
			4. Confusing methodological pluralism: what counts as evidence?
			5. Empty reviews and evidence gaps
			6. Failing on scaling
			7. Policy influence: the difficulty of biting the hand that feeds you
			8. A failure to measure outcomes
			9. Short-termism
			10. Erasure
		References
	11 Higher aspirations: growing from a university home to an independent body
		The importance of empiricism
		Longer-term thinking
		Student success
		Research ethics
		Data collection/harmonisation
		Regulation
		Partnerships
		Conclusion
		Reference
	12 Using evidence to end homelessness
		How is the Centre for Homelessness Impact different?
		Challenges
			Staffing
			Funding
			Data collection
			Ethics
		Stronger together
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	13 Scaling up: taking ‘what works’ to the next level
		Introduction
		Scaling up requires a whole system approach
		Begin by defining the end vision
		Strategies and activities involved in scaling up
		What does this mean for the work of What Works Centres?
		Conclusion
		References
	14 Measuring what matters
		Introduction
		Measuring what matters
		What is success and how do we know
		Measuring children and young people’s wellbeing
		Evaluation
		What next for subjective wellbeing and towards administrative data to support trials
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	15 Bringing it all together: the future of evidence synthesis
		Producing evidence with rigour: shared principles and diverse methods
		Stages and diversity in the review process
		Combining approaches to reviewing
		Producing evidence rapidly: coordinated effort and efficiency
		Rapid reviews with more focused effort
		Rapid reviews with greater efficiency
		Producing evidence with relevance
		What next for the What Works Network?
		Notes
		References
	16 Frontiers in equality
		Two types of question: gaps and animus
		Gaps
			Mean difference
			Cultural, historical and theoretical difference
			Study design
		Oversampling
		Manipulation checks
		Animus
		Differences in approach
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	17 Evidence at the grassroots
	18 Conclusion
		Introduction
		Top tips for new centres
			Carts and horses
			Standards of evidence and rigour
			Be relentlessly practical
			Listen – and think
		Recommendations for the future
			Data
			A strategic approach to new centres
			Initiatives – not centres
			Collaboration
Index