INSTITUTIONAL INFLUENCES ON THE USE OF EVIDENCE IN PUBLIC POLICY: THE CASE OF POLICY FORMULATION IN IRELAND

This article examines the use of evidence for policy-making, with a specfic focus on a policy-support tool called Health Impact Assessment (HIA). This tool aims to health-proof all public policies, at national and local levels. It has gained credence and credibility from supranational and international institutions, such as the European Union and the World Health Organisation. HIA is one of a plethora of instruments used to inform public policy. This research examines whether HIAs were used for the purpose that they were conducted- to inform policy, either directly or indirectly. Institutional theory was used as the analytical lens to examine this phenonomen. This article draws on research from a doctoral study conducted in Ireland, based on empircal evidence from four case studies within the two jurisdications on the island; the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.