Capita In Conversation with Jon Baron

In this episode, Joe Waters talks to Jon Baron, President of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, to discuss the evolution and impact of evidence-based policymaking in the U.S. Jon shares his journey and insights on how government funding can prioritize programs proven to work, tackling social issues through a rigorous, data-driven approach. The conversation explores some of the challenges and the potential of this approach to address core issues fueling public frustration, paving the way for a more effective and accountable policy landscape. Jon Baron is a government reformer who has played a pivotal role in advancing evidence-based policymaking throughout government for over 20 years. He recently relaunched the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy – the nonpartisan organization he founded and led from 2001-2015 – and serves as the Coalition’s President, CEO, and Chairman. From 2015-2021, Jon served as Vice President of Evidence-Based Policy at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (now Arnold Ventures), where he designed and led a major research funding portfolio that has successfully grown the body of proven-effective social programs. He left Arnold Ventures in 2021 and was a candidate for Maryland governor in the 2022 election. Joe Waters is the co-founder and CEO of Capita. Since starting Capita in 2018, Joe has developed an array of initiatives to explore the major transformations of our time—social, demographic, cultural, technological, environmental, and economic—and anticipate their potential impacts on families and their communities worldwide. www.capita.org