Methods

Project Task

• Methods of ensuring evidence use in legislation and policy

• Best practices and emerging trends for effective presentation of evidence

Expert Opinion

Formalizing normative expectations as institutional policy is a critical and appropriate culture-building intervention.

Recommendations

The DRS should develop succinct policy recommendations and elicit the endorsement from Parliament's leadership.

The DRS should enforce its evidentiary policies through a standard review process.

DRS should develop and adopt ethical-by-design policies that guide the production of all its products.

Examples

types of evidence

verifying evidence

presenting evidence as policy information and infographics

Resources

Policy and Legislative Research for Congressional Staff: Finding Documents, Analysis, News, and Training

Adobe | Digital Workflow Best Practices for Public-Sector Efficiency

Project Task

• Best practices and emerging trends for effective presentation of evidence

Expert Opinion

Adopting peer-reviewed standards and best practices as institutional policy is a critical and appropriate culture-building intervention.

Recommendations

The DRS should use best practices as a reference point to develop FAIR and Open Access standards for information sharing and evidence-based policy guidance.

Examples

• Telephone & e-mail responses

• Confidential memoranda

• Background and miscellaneous services 

•  Revising existing reports upon demand for a specific client

• Supplying materials or streaming links of recorded events

• Sharing third-party materials

• In-person briefings & consultations 

• Testimony

Resources

Congressional Research Service Annual Report, FY 2020

CRS Standards for Analysis

EveryCRSReport.com

FAS Archive

Analyzing Congressional Research Service Reports on Education: How Is Information Used at Congress’s Think Tank?

NASEM Toolkit for Fostering Open Science Practices

Philip Bump's How To Read This Chart newsletter

Project Task

• Methods of ensuring evidence use in legislation and policy

• Best practices and emerging trends for effective presentation of evidence

Expert Opinion

Edge technologies, like artificial intelligence systems (AI) and machine-learning algorithms (ML), are powerful tools that can be used to perform synthesized queries (i.e., ask compound questions) that return meaningful results.  These tools can support efficiency by helping the knowledge worker (policy analyst) locate relevant evidence quickly so that they can spend more time synthesizing that evidence in the development of DRS products.

The use of these tools presents an ethical dilemma that can be resolved through 

• transparency (i.e., citation, documentation, FAIR metadata practices, etc.)  

• accountability, and 

• the establishment of strong policy and regular review of that policy with the guidance of a rotating advisory board

Recommendations

The DRS should use adopt AI tools that support knowledge work, and develop policies that (1) promote the wise use of AI/ML and other edge tech through rigorous ethics oversight and enforcement; (2)  discourage over-reliance on technology in the knowledge work environment; and (3) strengthen Uganda's culture and values.

Examples

• ChatGPT

Data, Measurement and Evaluation

• African Population and Health Research Center

Resources 

Perplexity AI

Chat GPT

References

"STRENGTHENING MEASUREMENT AND IMPACT EVALUATION CAPACITY AT APHRC - APHRC." APHRC, 10 Mar. 2023, aphrc.org/project/strengthening-measurement-and-impact-evaluation-capacity-at-aphrc.

Metrical Frameworks

Measurement and Impact Evaluation Project 

African Population and Health Research Center

1. Strengthening the Center’s analytical capacity and evidence used for evidence-informed decision-making

2. Strengthen the Center’s capacity to conduct robust impact evaluations of complex programs based on modern practices across several thematic areas

3. Strengthen pathways to policy impact through focused and sustained engagement with policy actors aligned to APHRC’s signature issues.

References

"Strengthening Measurement and Impact Evaluation Capacity at APHRC - APHRC." APHRC, 10 Mar. 2023, aphrc.org/project/strengthening-measurement-and-impact-evaluation-capacity-at-aphrc.