EU evidence service to research links between values and politics

The Joint Research Centre, the European Commission’s evidence service, is to lead research into how the values of the public and politicians affect policymaking and can be influenced by “rational debate”.

Plans for the research were announced in a major JRC report published on 18 July, called Understanding Our Political Nature, which examines the drivers of political decision-making and underscores the need for evidence-informed policies.

“We need to understand what drives political decision-making and the role played by emotions, values and identity if we want evidence-informed political decision-making to bring about positive social change,” said education commissioner Tibor Navracsics, who oversees the JRC.