The Actual Situation and Challenges of EBPM in Local Governments

―Implications from a Study in Fukushima Prefecture―

Abstract

  The current study performed a questionnaire survey on evidence-based policy making (EBPM) of 59 municipalities and interviews with four municipalities with advanced EBPM in Fukushima Prefecture to understand the situations of EBPM among small municipalities in countryside. The results of the current study revealed that 1) the situation of promoting EBPM varies from municipality to municipality; the larger the size of the municipalities, the higher the percentage of respondents who answered that they have promoted EBPM, 2) the words “evidence” and “EBPM” may have the ambiguity, 3) policy making in local municipalities is mainly based on so-called “EBPM in a broad sense”, 4) the challenges in implementing and promoting EBPM in municipalities are mainly lack of methods, manpower, and understanding within the municipalities, and 5) there was no trend of EBPM actively cascading or spreading to surrounding municipalities. These findings suggested that while various efforts have been made, there are still difficulties in implementing and promoting EBPM in local municipalities.