Deepening of Evidence-Based Policy Making in the UK: Centred on the Evaluation Task Force

Recently, the UK government has been promoting such policies as utilising the results of evaluation in policymaking and budget allocation and planning ex-post policy evaluation before implementation. While Evidence-Based Policy Making (EBPM) in the UK has been centred on ex-ante evaluation such as cost-benefit analysis in business cases, it is now starting to refer to causal evidence in ex-ante evaluation and to build ex-post evaluation into policymaking. This paper examines these developments focusing on the Evaluation Task Force (ETF), which was established in 2021 as an organisation to advise HM Treasury and other departments on evaluation. Firstly, we demonstrate the current situation of EBPM in the UK government based on a National Audit Office report. Secondly, we deal with the Analysis Function that encompasses government analysts and the Magenta Book, which contains guidance on evaluation. Thirdly, we examine the organization and activities of the ETF mainly based on the results of the interview with its head. Lastly, we show the implications for Japan obtained from the British experiences.