The Evidence‑Based Policy Experiment: How Institutions Mistake Citation Signals for Reality

The Evidence‑Based Policy Experiment: How Institutions Mistake Citation Signals for Reality examines evidence‑based policy as a downstream apparatus built on structurally fragile academic systems. The essay argues that policy does not rely on empirical reality but on the outputs of peer review, publishing incentives, disciplinary silos, indexing systems, and citation economies. Drawing on evidence from retraction patterns, compromised peer‑review processes, and the distortions embedded in publishing and indexing infrastructures, the paper shows how policy inherits epistemic drift, prestige bias, and category lock‑in. By reframing evidence‑based policy as a visibility‑driven, citation‑dependent mechanism, the essay exposes the fragility of governance, public trust, and institutional legitimacy in environments where structural artifacts are mistaken for truth.