This article explores the initial results produced by the European Commission's "better regulation agenda", which aims to stimulate productivity and employment, on the use of evidence and its potential to enhance democratic governance. The article finds that implausible rational models of policy making dictate the ways in which the Commission is expected to conceive its programmes, and these models are adopted to legitimise rather than inform decisions. This negatively affects the processes by which interventions are designed and their social credibility. These processes are illustrated through an analysis of EU regulatory impact assessments in lifelong learning, culture, youth and citizenship during 2002-07.