How Essential is Research in Policy Planning? Guest Lecture with Professor Christopher Fox on Evidence-Based Policy

November 10, 2025 — On Monday (10/11), the Department of Criminology held an international guest lecture featuring Professor Christopher Fox from Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom. The session, held at the Auditorium of the FISIP UI’s Communication Building, began with an introduction to Professor Christopher Fox, an expert in policy evaluation and development who is also involved in criminal justice and public service reform. In this guest lecture, Professor Fox presented material on evidence-based policy, (EBP) , research tools used in its design, as well as various limitations present in its application.

The material begins with aligning understanding of evidence-based policy. Professor Fox describes evidence-based policy as a framework that helps policymakers create policies, programs, and projects using the best available evidence from research. The research in question can be reviewed by researchers at policy development or implementation research centers. This makes evidence-based policy a whole lot different from opinion-based policy, which relies on selective evidence or the untested views of an individual or group. Research in policy-making will produce targeted solutions that address existing problems in society.

Furthermore, Professor Fox also discussed various research tools that are commonly used in evidence-based policy design. Some of these include Rubin causal models, Average Treatment Effect (ATE), randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and systematic reviews. These models play a key role in the evidence-based policy design stage; their use allows researchers to draw conclusions about existing conditions in the field before ultimately designing policies to address those challenges.

What are the challenges in evidence-based policy?

Although it appears to be an ideal model for policy making, there are many challenges that must be overcome, both in planning and implementation. In planning, some models are considered too complex and expensive to implement, such as RCT. In addition, society is a complex system with intricate problems. There is a deep context that will determine whether a policy will work well or be rejected outright by the community, regardless of in-depth research.

This guest lecture, which lasted approximately one and a half hours, served as an introduction to evidence-based policy closely related to the field of criminology. It also demonstrated the efforts of the Department of Criminology at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, to generate knowledge, interest, and enthusiasm in applying evidence-based policy design models in Indonesia, which requires greater attention as an important part of society and the criminal justice system.