Arnold Ventures launched its evidence-based policy initiative in 2015 in large part to increase the number of social programs with strong evidence behind them. To do that, the team funds randomized controlled trials of programs in social policy whose prior evidence has shown the potential for sizable effects on educational achievement, earnings, and other important outcomes. To date it has funded over 100 RCTs — shown here — and disseminates findings from Arnold Ventures-funded RCTs as they become available. Programs backed by especially promising evidence, whether funded through Arnold Ventures or not, are highlighted on its Social Programs that Work website; discussions on research reporting and transparency are highlighted on its Straight Talk on Evidence (@NoSpinEvidence) website.
To hear lessons from that work and also broader observations from someone working to advance evidence-based policy for almost two decades, we are joined by David Anderson. He is the Vice President of Evidence-Based Policy at Arnold Ventures and previously served as the Vice President of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy.