Expert and Scientific Advice in Public Policymaking in Armenia

Addressing societal problems by relying on expert advice is commonplace in many developed countries. Two key tools are needed for effective decision-making: access to high-quality, real-time data and the integration of independent expert advice. These tools, it will be argued, are common in advanced democracies but scarce, in developing countries such as Armenia. The paper examines and analyses this shortcoming in four sections. The first section sets out some of the preconditions for high quality expert advice. Section two briefly discusses the legal regulations of expert advice mechanisms in Armenia. The third section highlights aspects of evidence-based policymaking in the United States as a benchmark. Section four illustrates how these principles could apply to Armenia’s health system using it as a case study. The paper concludes with some practical recommendations on how to incorporate expert advice into public policymaking in Armenia.