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Gregory C. Mason

Research and teaching in public-policy

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Some problems with “evidence based” policy

February 16, 2021 by Gregory Mason

One of the effects of COVID, is the ubiquity of evidence-based policy. Aside from coronavirus cranks, most accept that public health directives rest on science.

However, evidence can be a cudgel when used to promote a specific policy and limit discussion under the assertion that “the science is settled.” This seems to have happened with Biden’s proposing to raise the Federal minimum wage and Paul Krugman of the New York Times claiming that “new evidence came in, and it refuted old conventional wisdom.”

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Filed Under: Op Ed