Why Do Governments Do Stupid Things?
Would government policies fail less often if they were based on careful analysis of good evidence to find out what works?
Trust in government is at an all-time low in many countries. From failed healthcare policies to missed intelligence, government blunders happen often – and visibly. But successful policy-making is hard (and fixes are rarely as quick as politicians like to promise).
Some argue that governments would do stupid things less often if they based their policies on the careful analysis of good evidence; find out what works, in other words, and then do that.
But that’s not how most governments operate, most of the time.
Why not?
Presenter: Michael Blastland
(Photo: a group of journalists being surrounded by the Media. Credit Shutterstock)
Last on
More episodes
Clips
-
Values v. evidence
Duration: 01:52
-
How hard can it be?
Duration: 02:11
Broadcasts
- Tue 6 Dec 2016 02:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Tue 6 Dec 2016 03:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service Online & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Tue 6 Dec 2016 04:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service East Asia
- Tue 6 Dec 2016 05:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service Australasia & South Asia only
- Tue 6 Dec 2016 07:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service East and Southern Africa
- Tue 6 Dec 2016 09:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Tue 6 Dec 2016 15:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service except East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Tue 6 Dec 2016 20:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service Online, Americas and the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East, Australasia & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Tue 6 Dec 2016 21:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service East and Southern Africa, East Asia, West and Central Africa & South Asia only
- Sat 10 Dec 2016 22:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service except East Asia & News Internet
Podcast
-
The Inquiry
Getting beyond the headlines to explore the forces and ideas shaping the world