Institutional Cognition

Policy implementation often feels like the end of an intellectual process. A problem has been identified, alternatives have been considered, evidence has been examined and a decision has finally been…

Evidence and policy begin their relationship at a particular moment. An institution faces a problem, tests an intervention, observes a result and decides that the evidence is strong enough to…

Institutions often have to act before they know enough. A new policy may be introduced because an existing problem is urgent, because available evidence is incomplete but promising, or because…

Institutions know that important assets require maintenance. Buildings deteriorate, software becomes obsolete, datasets accumulate errors, professional qualifications expire and infrastructure needs periodic inspection if it is expected to remain reliable.…

Institutions often treat successful experiments as foundations for durable decisions. A pilot shows that an intervention improves an outcome, an evaluation identifies a promising programme, a trial demonstrates that a…

Institutions generate friction wherever their structures meet the complexity of the world they are trying to govern. People struggle to navigate procedures, complaints recur, decisions are challenged, cases take longer…