Buying Evidence? Policy Research as a Presidential Commodity

The US federal government routinely commissions policy research from the private sector, and this research, in turn, often forms an evidence base for future policy decisions. Given its potential to influence the policymaking process, I argue that the procurement power over research production is a previously unappreciated tool in the president’s policy arsenal. Focusing on federally funded policy research and using an original dataset of federal procurement from 2000 to 2019, I explore how government-funded research can enhance a president’s prospects for accomplishing political goals. The analysis shows that agencies that are prioritized by the president award larger research contracts. Further, new presidential administrations are more likely to discontinue research initiated by their predecessors. The implication is that policy research commissioned by the federal government is a commodity for the executive, harnessed in service of political agendas.