Using Habermas’ theory of communicative action to transform sociological analyses of evidence-based policy

ABSTRACT

Many sociological analyses of evidence-based policy frame it as contributing to the rationalisation of social relations, and being constructed through and implicated in systems of knowledge/power. These analyses are based on social theory placing insufficient emphasis on the emancipatory potential of evidence, and the possibility of rational adjudication of truth claims. We argue sociological engagement with evidence-based policy could be transformed by being informed by the work of Habermas. Habermas’ work could enable a more nuanced view of EBP in terms of whether or not this leads to rationalisation in the form of de-politicisation or marginalisation of citizens’ voices. Habermas’ work on knowledge-constitutive interests could inform a reconstructed view of evidence, disabused of positivist assumptions and with increased emancipatory potential. Habermas’ notion of the ideal speech situation as a procedural basis for truth could function as a standard for exploring how EBP is affected by power asymmetries, as well as for adjudicating truth claims.

KEYWORDS:

• Evidence-based policy
• evidence
• rationalisation
• Habermas
• communicative action
• knowledge-constitutive interests
• ideal speech situation

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Tim Rhodes, a conversation with whom about our different perspectives on evidence first prompted this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

CB conceived and wrote the first draft of the paper. The paper was then revised in successive drafts by CB and GJMT.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.