This document discusses the principles of evidence-based legislation. It argues that evidence-based policy making requires legislation that is grounded in scientific evidence and data. It outlines some of the tools, standards, and training needed to support evidence-based legislation, including legal informatics tools, global standards for knowledge representation, and developing digital skills among lawmakers. Examples provided include a legal interoperability lab project in Greece that uses authoring tools and data standards to pilot evidence-based approaches. The conclusion calls for investments in research services and cooperation to help smaller institutions implement evidence-based legislative approaches.

1. Principles of Evidence-Based
Legislation
Dr Fotis Fitsilis
Scientific Service, Hellenic Parliament
Science and Parliament
Evidence-based Legislation
Friday, 26 February 2021

2. To begin with …
 Necessity: evidence-based policy making
 Through: legislation fit for purpose
 Prerequisites: scientific evidence and data
Science
theories, methods, approaches, analyses etc.
Datasets
validated, structured, standardized
Big Open Legislative Data (BOLD)
Principles of evidence-based legislation

3. The Policy Cycle
© Better Europe BV 2021
Principles of evidence-based legislation
Governments or Parliaments?
both – and beyond

4. But how?
Tools, standards, training
 Tools and services  legal informatics
 Global standards and vocabularies  AKM, ELI
 Working procedures  custom (digital) skills
Principles of evidence-based legislation

5. Example: “The Greek job”
Legal Interoperability
Lab The ManyLaws project
 National School of Gov.
 Type: training
 Target group: senior
public service
 Authoring tool: LEOS
 Standards: AKN
 Language: GR
 Features: Proof-of-
Concept
 Int’l consortium
 Type: service
 Target group: users of
legal data
 Tool: online platform
 Standards: AKN, DCAT,
ELI
 Languages: GR, EN, DE
 Features: Comparative
analysis/visualizations
Principles of evidence-based legislation

6. Principles of evidence-based legislation
Conclusions and (research) outlook
 New skills: digital and conventional
 Parliament: strong research service
 Ground for institutional cooperation
 Massive investments necessary
 Some research questions:
o What is the place of EBL in the future
parliament?
o How to support smaller (or weaker)
institutions?
o Margin for inter-parliamentary cooperation?
(see e.g. IPU)

7. Disclaimer:
The information and views set out in this
presentation are only those of the author and do
not reflect the official opinion of the Hellenic
Parliament.
Contact
fitsilisf @ parliament.gr
https://fitsilis.gr
Principles of evidence-based legislation