Stronger Policy through Evidence

Stronger Abstraction Heuristics Through Perimeter Search

Perimeter search is a bidirectional search algorithm consisting of two phases. In the first phase, a limited regression search computes the perimeter, a region which must necessarily be passed in every solution. In the second phase, a heuristic forward search finds an optimal plan from the initial state to the perimeter. The drawback of perimeter search is the need to compute heuristic estimate...

Evidence based policy or policy based evidence?

A pathway to a stronger research culture in health policy

BACKGROUND There are currently limited pathways into a career in health policy research in Australia, due in part to a serious absence of health policy research capability in Australian universities. DISCUSSION We define what we consider health policy research and education should comprise. We then examine what is currently on offer and propose ways to strengthen health policy research in Aus...

Chemicals Policy Gap: Toward Stronger Regulation in the United States

volume 117 | number 8 | August 2009 • Environmental Health Perspectives Chemicals Policy Gap Toward Stronger Regulation in the United States Chemicals policy in the United States is in need of profound change for both environmental health and economic reasons, according to a review of how the U.S. chemical industry currently is regulated [EHP 117:1202–1209; Wilson and Schwarzman]. The 1976 Toxi...

Boosting population quits through evidence-based cessation treatment and policy.

Only large increases in adult cessation will rapidly reduce population smoking prevalence. Evidence-based smoking-cessation treatments and treatment policies exist but are underutilized. More needs to be done to coordinate the widespread, efficient dissemination and implementation of effective treatments and policies. This paper is the first in a series of three to demonstrate the impact of an ...