1. What Works?
Feb 2015

2. • Why ‘What Works’ matters & what it’s all about
• Do you know what works?
• What we mean by ‘good evidence’ of what works
• Busting some trialling myths
• Take-home tools
• DFID’s perspective …

3. Why knowing ‘What Works’ matters
UNCLASSIFIED

4. Our vision and approach
UNCLASSIFIED
When national and local decision-makers are designing, commissioning
or delivering public services:
• Either they will have high quality evidence which suggests their
chosen approach will work;
• Or they will use high quality methods to test whether it does work
So that more public spending is directed towards policies and
programmes that are known to be cost-effective at achieving
outcomes
We are working to achieve this by:
•Creating and supporting independent What Works institutions
•Leading behaviour change programme across Government through:
• Increasing incentives
• Building capability
• Launching new services to address barriers

5. The network of ‘What Works’ Centres
UNCLASSIFIED
“The What Works Network will
bring a real step-change to
our evidence generating
capabilities”
Danny Alexander
Chief Secretary to the Treasury

6. Do you know ‘What Works’?
UNCLASSIFIED

7. Snapshot from EEF’s Toolkit
UNCLASSIFIED

8. Part of an international movement …
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“The federal government has put 11
large social programs, costing more
than $10 billion a year, through
rigorous trials. Ten showed “weak
or no positive effects.”

9. “Cell Mates”
UNCLASSIFIED
Imagine a US rehabilitation programme where the offender has daily cell phone
contact with a mentor to provide expert advice on employment and housing after
being released from prison. You’re imagining ‘Cell Mates’
(© Danielle Mason 2015)
Evidence:

10. Busting some trial myths …
UNCLASSIFIED
Policy trials can:
•Be cheap
•Be quick
•Be pragmatic
•Be built around existing policy design
“How do you know if what you’re spending
money on is really effective? Often as
policymakers we don’t know what will
work, but we can do something about this
by designing our policies and practice to
test, learn and adapt everything we do.”

11. Take-home tools
UNCLASSIFIED
Be early adopters of the Cross-Government Trial Advice Panel
•Top 10 trialling experts from Government & 20 external experts
•Free-to-use service for all civil servants, launching in June
•trialadvicepanel@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Use the evidence and findings from the What Works Centres:
Further reading
•‘What Works? Evidence for decision makers’
•‘Test, Learn Adapt‘Test, Learn Adapt’
•Follow us on twitter @whatworksUK