Evidence‐based policy strategies: A typology

Evidence‐based policymaking is defined as using the best available research to inform policy, budget, and management decisions. In mental health, evidence‐based policy focuses mainly on strategies aimed at promoting evidence‐based programs. Policy strategies refer to actions either to formulate policy content or to promote program implementation. As a first step toward developing a systematic taxonomy, this article identifies seven policy strategies and illustrates them with case examples drawn from the mental health literature. Articulating discrete policy strategies may clarify components of a framework for a large‐scale study of factors influencing the effectiveness of policies aimed at promoting evidence‐based programs.