This paper clarifies the ways in which qualitative research can be utilized in EBPM, primarily based on a review of the literature. The review of related literature demonstrates that there are three applications of qualitative research in EBPM: (1) to enhance quantitative effectiveness evaluations, (2) to address questions beyond effectiveness, and (3) to directly contribute to the evaluation of effectiveness. A review of the literature on international organizations, including Cochrane, Campbell Collaboration, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and the EPPI Centre, reveals that each organization's guidelines explicitly outline their policies on the use of qualitative research, and they have conducted evidence reviews incorporating qualitative research. Qualitative research provides insights into the processes by which an intervention works, information related to program implementation, and the perceptions and experiences of stakeholders. The rationale for incorporating qualitative research is that in policymaking, information from qualitative research is necessary in addition to evaluating effectiveness, and policy-making organizations, such as the UK government, are seeking insights from qualitative research.

  Over eight years have passed since Japan’s central government embarked on evidence-based policymaking (EBPM). Despite progress, there are concerns that efforts like logic model creation and indicator measurement have become formalities, failing to improve policy outcomes. This paper compares Japan’s EBPM with the more advanced approach in the United States to identify obstacles hindering its effectiveness in Japan. Using the Evidence-Support System framework from the Global Commission on Evidence, the paper highlights Japan’s challenges, including weak demand for evidence, inadequate mechanisms for balancing the supply and demand of evidence, and a shortage of internal experts.

  In recent years, the use of educational data has been promoted in schools. The merits and demerits of Evidence Based Practice, which aims to link evidence derived from educational data to improvements in practice, have been discussed. However, practical suggestions are lacking in school settings, where various factors are intertwined. Therefore, in this study, a school where ‘EBP Thinking’ was developed was surveyed, and a case study was conducted to elucidate what triggered the change, what happened and how the school organisation and individual teachers were transformed. As a result of interviews with several staff members, a series of transformations such as ‘exploration and passive triggers → shared EBP thinking → team formation → practice（educational data meetings and classroom practice）, EBP mentors → reflection → consolidation of EBP thinking’ were identified. Through this study, the significance of reflection on EBP thinking, the existence of EBP mentors and the fostering of EBP thinking was suggested.

This study aims to clarify the contributions of Harry P. Hatry (1930-2023), a pioneer in the field of performance measurement. To achieve this goal, it collects and examines the works he published over his 55-year career. Following a comprehensive search, 106 works were identified, of which 28 were selected for closer examination. An analysis of these works revealed general trends in the topics and sectors they addressed, as well as Hatry’s ideas and arguments regarding performance measurement. Despite some of the limitations, this study can provide valuable insights that deepen our understanding of Hatry’s arguments, which could lead to better implementation of performance measurement.

  Performance measurement in the U.S. is based on the concept of “Managing for Results,” which integrates the analysis of measured performance and the decision-making mechanism for improvement and review. This will serve as a reference for future improvement of evaluation and performance measurement practices in Japan, where the introduction of such practices has progressed with the intention of ensuring transparency and achieving accountability. This paper presents the main points for improving Japan’s performance measurement efforts with reference to U.S. practice.

  Management by performance measurement seems to have spread throughout all public sectors over the past 30 years. In recent years, however, the routinization and fatigue of its management processes have been topics of discussion. On the other hand, performance measurement also has been assigned an important role by the EBPM-oriented government. This paper examined the process of measurement in performance management practices in Japan, with reference to the literature by Harry P. Hatry and others. Then, dos and don'ts in measurement process were newly presented from the perspective of evidence. Future policies in Japan have to be evidence-based. Performance measurement should play wide and important role in EBPM initiatives.

Predictive indicators are crucial for budget planning and outcome-based performance measurement. In Japan’s product safety administration, the year-over-year change in the number of product accidents is often used to evaluate government agency activities. However, predicting product accidents is inherently variable. This study examines the predictive accuracy of using the previous year’s data as forecasts and compares it with the actual target value of a “3% reduction.” The results show that such forecasts have an average prediction error of approximately 8%, which exceeds the target value. This finding suggests the irrationality of past performance evaluation methods. Goal setting often includes reduction rates from predictive values, requiring careful consideration of prediction errors. However, achieving goals significantly different from prediction errors may be unrealistic. In outcome-based evaluations, goals must be distinguishable from prediction errors and attainable. If these criteria are not met, a reassessment of outcome-based evaluation methods may be necessary.

  Japan’s corporate income tax credit system for R&D system is designed to promote investments in research and development (R&D). Government ministry and agency policy evaluation reports indicate that this system has increased R&D spending. The findings of this study indicate increased R&D spending in firms with high debt-to-asset ratios but no clear evidence that the gross system increased R&D spending. In addition, the study did not find evidence that limitations on carryforward deductions impacted R&D spending. Based on these results, Japan’s corporate income tax credit system’s effectiveness remains inconclusive. We suggest developing a model to test the system’s effectiveness to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the current status.

  The current study performed a questionnaire survey on evidence-based policy making (EBPM) of 59 municipalities and interviews with four municipalities with advanced EBPM in Fukushima Prefecture to understand the situations of EBPM among small municipalities in countryside. The results of the current study revealed that 1) the situation of promoting EBPM varies from municipality to municipality; the larger the size of the municipalities, the higher the percentage of respondents who answered that they have promoted EBPM, 2) the words “evidence” and “EBPM” may have the ambiguity, 3) policy making in local municipalities is mainly based on so-called “EBPM in a broad sense”, 4) the challenges in implementing and promoting EBPM in municipalities are mainly lack of methods, manpower, and understanding within the municipalities, and 5) there was no trend of EBPM actively cascading or spreading to surrounding municipalities. These findings suggested that while various efforts have been made, there are still difficulties in implementing and promoting EBPM in local municipalities.