Evidence and Innovation

This is an article from the New Yorker by Malcolm Gladwell that looks at innovation and creativity in the context of the development of computers and printers.

Ken Robinson discusses creativity in the context of education. He argues that the current education system of many Western countries is stifling creativity and failing many young people.

In this four-part series New York-based film maker Kirby Ferguson explores creativity and innovation, arguing that all creativity stems from the following process: copy, transform, combine. He uses examples from music, film and technology to illustrate his points.

Weiss suggests 7 ways in which social science research is used in policy making.

This article covers some of the different approaches to policy evaluation. It considers some of the barriers to policy evaluation, the role of pilot studies, and what kinds of methods and evaluations may be most useful in a social policy context.

Shonkoff argues that Science, Policy and Practice are distinct cultures with their own approaches to research and evidence. However, since they have a common goal (in this case, improving interventions for children) we need to find creative ways of blending these cultures. He introduces the reader to the main differences between these cultures, and some of the challenges facing evidence-based approaches in this context.

This article provides a useful histoy, and discussion of the key debates surrounding, evidence-based approaches in a social service context.