What types of evidence are needed for decision-makers?

The paper presents the theoretical, methodological and utilization deliberations and challenges underlying the design of a nation-wide knowledge infrastructure about effective social policies and programs in Denmark. The approach seeks to appreciate that public managers at different levels of government have different requirements in terms of the evidence needed to make decisions. As part of the design the authors compare and contrast the approaches of 24 existing clearinghouses. The authors found that the intended users are instrumental for what kind of knowledge is produced, dissemination strategy and services offered. The authors posit that clearinghouse functions need to be embedded in a borader knowledge translation strategy to become effective.