European Policy Analysis Volume 1, Number 1, Spring 2015 | Page 3

European Policy Analysis - Volume 1, Number 1 - Spring 2015

Enhancing gender equity through evidence-based policymaking? Theorizing and tracing the use of systematic
knowledge in family and tax policy reforms
Joachim Blatter,A Clara BombachB & Roman WiprächtigerC

How can evidence—systematically generated substantive knowledge—be used
to reach policy outcomes that promote gender equity? Initial hypothetical answers to this question are derived from three distinct theories of the policy
process: the Rational Policy Cycle (RPC), the Advocacy Coalition Framework
(ACF), and the Multiple Streams Approach (MSA). With the help of these theoretical frameworks, we trace the use of evidence in four case studies in the
fields of family and tax policy in Swiss Cantons. These empirical studies reveal
that, within a policy process which follows the Rational Policy Cycle, evidence
documenting existing deficits and studies indicating the efficiency of proposed
measures are crucial for a progressive outcome. Attempts to promote policies
that enhance gender equity by linking them to dominant topics like economic
competitiveness are not successful as long as no strong evidence is provided
and such a linkage can also be used for promoting policies that undermine
gender equity. Finally, in a battle between rival advocacy coalitions, evidence
that indicates the correspondence between a proposed policy and constitutional
norms seems to be most powerful.
Keywords: Evidence-based policymaking, Gender equity, Rational Policy Cycle, Advocacy Coalition Framework, Multiple Streams Approach, Family policy, Tax policy, Congruence