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... full DRO policy for further details. Abstract This article critically analyses the concept of evidence in evidence-based-policy, arguing that there is key problem: that there is no existing practicable theory of evidence, one which is philosophically grounded and yet applicable for evidence-based policy. The article critically considers both philosophical accounts of evidence and practical treatments of evidence in evidence-based-policy. It argues that both fail in different ways to provide a theory of evidence that is adequate for evidence-based-policy. The article contributes to the debate about how evidence can and should be used to reduce contingency in science and in policy based on science.