Giving Compass' Take:

• Sarah Rosen Wartell explains why concerted efforts are needed to get evidence into the hands of decision-makers - including policymakers and business leaders - to improve the world. 

• How can philanthropy help to close the gap between evidence and practices on the ground? 

• Read about key principles of evidence-based policymaking. 

Researchers have work to do, too, not just to illuminate where we are headed, but to advance evidence-based solutions to daunting challenges ahead.

The American economy is evolving rapidly through automation and technological innovation, and many workers could be caught off guard by these transitions. Just as automation has replaced many routine, manual tasks, advances in artificial intelligence might replace routine, cognitive tasks. To thrive, more workers will have to pursue nonroutine jobs relying on their hands, minds, and interpersonal skills.

In a society where economic mobility is elusive, these transformations could harden inequalities, especially for those who face the legacies and daily realities of structural racism. Polarization could intensify, fueled by deeply held senses of injustice and anxiety.

But what if we could harness these forces of change to expand opportunity?

The first step might be to connect the changemakers to evidence. Today’s changemakers aren’t just federal policymakers—they are CEOs driving social change through how they lead their companies, what they invest in, and how they treat their employees; they are tech entrepreneurs designing new products to address long-standing social challenges; and they are local civic leaders, philanthropists, and service providers supporting and carrying out interventions that make a difference on the ground in communities.

Read the full article about translating research by Sarah Rosen Wartell at Urban Institute.