Evidence-Based Policymaking in the Big Data Era

This book investigates the transformative potential of Big Data in advancing Evidence-Based Policymaking (EBPM). As governments grapple with complex challenges, there is increasing demand for using scientific evidence to enhance the quality of policymaking.
Through an interdisciplinary approach integrating public administration, Social Big Data analysis, and economics, this book provides practical implications for governments to advance EBPM, while demonstrating how to leverage Social Big Data to support policymaking with concrete policy cases. This book first explains the fundamental concepts of EBPM, including what counts as evidence, why evidence matters, and what procedure ensures effective EBPM implementation. Part II reveals the current status of EBPM practices in two countries: the UK, as a leading nation in EBPM practices and Japan in the nascent stages of adoption. This part examines the persistent shortcomings, and systemic challenges faced by both governments in advancing EBPM. Furthermore, Part III presents empirical analyses across three policy domains: tourism promotion, human mobility control during the Covid-19 pandemic, and house price estimation. The analyses used Social Big Data sources, e.g., Google Trends, SNS, and Google Mobility, to quantify important policy factors and provide evidence for policymaking and evaluation.
This book stands out for its contributions in two key areas. First, it reveals the current status of EBPM practices in the UK and Japan, thereby addressing a critical research gap in cross-national EBPM studies. Second, it contributes to both academic research and policy practice by proposing a data-driven EBPM approach and demonstrating its application through specific policy analysis cases.

List of contents

Part 1. Evidence-Based Policymaking and Big Data: Concepts and Key Themes.- Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Evidence-Based Policymaking: Concepts, Practices, and Key Themes.- Chapter 3. Big Data for Evidence-Based Policymaking: Applications, Benefits, and Limitations.- Part 2. Institutional Practices in Japan and the UK.- Chapter 4. Evidence-Based Policymaking in Japan.- Chapter 5. Evidence Use in English Local Plans.- Chapter 6. SHMAs as Evidence for Local Housing Planning in the UK.- Part 3. Big Data as Policy Evidence: Empirical Studies.- Chapter 7. Empirical Evidence on Factors Affecting Inbound Tourists to Japan.- Chapter 8. Empirical Evidence on Factors Affecting Mobility During the COVID-19 Pandemic.- Chapter 9. Empirical Evidence on Factors Affecting House Prices.- Part 4. Conclusions.- Chapter 10. Rethinking Evidence-Based Policymaking in the Big Data Era.

About the author

Zhaoyuan Liu earned a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Information Studies from the University of Tokyo (2018–2021) and is currently a lecturer at the Beijing Centre for Japanese Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University (2021–present). She is a member of the Society of Socio-Informatics, the Japan Economic Policy Association, and the Japan Institute of Tourism Research.
Her research focuses on Evidence-Based Policymaking (EBPM). During her doctoral studies, she investigated EBPM practices in Japanese and UK government institutions. She also conducted empirical analyses that systematically leveraged social media data analytics to generate actionable insights for policy evaluation and iterative optimization. During her research visit to University College London, she conducted interviews with practitioners at the Wales Centre for Public Policy and the Administrative Data Research Centre Wales to explore EBPM practices in the UK.
 
She has authored six peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from EBPM practices across nations to empirical studies of policy impact.
 
Her doctoral dissertation was recognized by the Society of Socio-Informatics’ Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award (2022). Her study "How Japan’s Inbound Tourism Promotion Policies Affect Chinese Tourists" won the Third Prize in the Agonshu Kiriyama Research Grant Award (2024).
 
 

Summary

This book investigates the transformative potential of Big Data in advancing Evidence-Based Policymaking (EBPM). As governments grapple with complex challenges, there is increasing demand for using scientific evidence to enhance the quality of policymaking.
Through an interdisciplinary approach integrating public administration, Social Big Data analysis, and economics, this book provides practical implications for governments to advance EBPM, while demonstrating how to leverage Social Big Data to support policymaking with concrete policy cases. This book first explains the fundamental concepts of EBPM, including what counts as evidence, why evidence matters, and what procedure ensures effective EBPM implementation. Part II reveals the current status of EBPM practices in two countries: the UK, as a leading nation in EBPM practices and Japan in the nascent stages of adoption. This part examines the persistent shortcomings, and systemic challenges faced by both governments in advancing EBPM. Furthermore, Part III presents empirical analyses across three policy domains: tourism promotion, human mobility control during the Covid-19 pandemic, and house price estimation. The analyses used Social Big Data sources, e.g., Google Trends, SNS, and Google Mobility, to quantify important policy factors and provide evidence for policymaking and evaluation.
This book stands out for its contributions in two key areas. First, it reveals the current status of EBPM practices in the UK and Japan, thereby addressing a critical research gap in cross-national EBPM studies. Second, it contributes to both academic research and policy practice by proposing a data-driven EBPM approach and demonstrating its application through specific policy analysis cases.

Product details

• Authors: Zhaoyuan Liu
• Publisher: Springer EN
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 10.03.2026
• EAN: 9789819568208
• ISBN: 978-981-9568-20-8
• No. of pages: 227
• Illustrations: X, 227 p. 48 illus., 39 illus. in color., farbige Illustrationen, schwarz-weiss Illustrationen
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Law > Public law, administrative procedural law, constitutional procedural law; Social Media, Public Administration, Tourism Management, Policy Formulation, Gastgewerbe, Sport-, Freizeit- und Tourismusindustrie, policy evaluation, human mobility, Tourism policy, Japanese government, Social Big Data, Emprical Analysis, Evidence-Based Policy Making