Interacting with Policymakers

It is naive to hope that academic research will simply be taken off the shelf by policy-makers and applied. Rather, it is generally the case that policies emanate from a long-term discussion between researchers and policy-makers.

See our discussion of communicating research findings: Communicating Research Results

Gabriele Bammer, Checklists for Assessing Research Policy Interactions, Integration Insights #11 July 2008 http://i2s.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/i2s-publications/integration-insight_11.pdf provides much practical advice, including lists of barriers to successfully providing policy advice and lists of questions and strategies regarding policy influence (and references for further reading)

Several tools for communicating policy advice to policy-makers are surveyed in Hovland, I. (2005). Successful Communication: A Toolkit for Researchers and Civil Society Organisations. Overseas Development Institute, London, UK. Full text online at: http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=155&title=successful-communication-toolkit-researchers-civil-society-organisations (viewed 21 December 2011):

· Note that communication is itself a multiple step process. Tools are identified for identifying targets of communication, clarifying the message, communicating through various media, and monitoring the impacts of one’s advice.

· Note that government agencies, especially in poorer countries, may lack the resources to evaluate complex policy advice. It is thus also useful to ask who has the capacity to act, and if necessary work cooperatively to strengthen that capacity.

We have stressed the value of mapping elsewhere [Mapping Interdisciplinary Connections]. In addition to mapping the problem itself it may be useful to map the political context: the relationships among the actors and institutions and values that will influence policy decisions in a particular area. Just as a map of the problem can indicate where policy interventions can achieve desirable goals, a map of the political context can identify where the case for change is best made. It will often be best to pursue multiple avenues of influence. Tools for mapping political context can be found in:

Nash, R., Hudson, A. and Luttrell, C. (2006). Mapping Political Context: A Toolkit for Civil Society Organisations. Overseas Development Institute, London, UK. Full text online at: http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=152&title=mapping-political-context-toolkit-civil-society-organisations (viewed 21 December 2011).

Kirst, Maritt, Nicole Schaefer-McDaniel, Stephen Hwang, and Patricia O'Campo, eds. Converging Disciplines: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Urban Health Problems. Springer, 2011, stress the value of interacting with practitioners (and users) during the research process, and also when translating research results into action.