Strategies to enhance research impact: Six lessons
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Transcript of Strategies to enhance research impact: Six lessons
Strategies to enhance research impact: Six lessons.
John Young [email protected]
RAPID programme in ODI• Promoting evidence-based
development policy & practice• Through
– Research – Advice – Public Affairs– Capacity-building
• Working with:– researchers– policymakers– parliamentarians– southern think tanks
for further information see: www.odi.org.uk/rapid / www.odi.org.uk/cspp
Identify the problem
Commission research
Analyse the results
Choose the best option
Establish the policy
Evaluation
Implement the policy
Policy makers do not...
Monitoring and Evaluation
Agenda Setting
DecisionMaking
Policy Implementation
Policy Formulation
Policy processes are...
Civil Society
DonorsCabinet
Parliament
Ministries
Private Sector
Policy is chaos
“The whole life of policy is a chaos of purposes and accidents. It is not at all a matter of the rational implementation of the so-called decisions through selected strategies”
Clay & Schaffer (1984), Room for Manoeuvre: An Exploration of Public Policy in Agricultural and Rural Development, Heineman Educational Books, London
Chronic Poverty in Uganda
Kate Bird et al, Fracture Points in Social Policies for Chronic Poverty Reduction, ODI WP242, 2004 (http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/working_papers/wp242.pdf)
Policy makers are…
• Speed
• Superficiality
• Spin
• Secrecy
• Scientific Ignorance
Vincent Cable – Lib. Democrat MP & Shadow Minister of FinanceMore at: www.odi.org.uk/RAPID/Meetings/Evidence
…practically incapable of using research-based evidence because of the 5 Ss…
Evidence
Experience & Expertise
Judgement
Resources
Values and Policy
Context
Habits & Tradition
Lobbyists & Pressure Groups
Pragmatics & Contingencies
There are many other factors
Source: Phil Davies Impact to Insight Meeting, ODI, 2005
Different notions of evidence
• Colloquial (Contextual)
• Anything that seems reasonable
• Policy relevant
• Timely
• Clear Message
Policy Makers’ Evidence
Source: Phil Davies Impact to Insight Meeting, ODI, 2005
• ‘Scientific’ (Context free)
• Proven empirically
• Theoretically driven
• As long as it takes
• Caveats and qualifications
Researchers’ Evidence
Health Care in Tanzania
“The results of household disease surveys informed processes of health service reform which contributed to a 43 and 46 per cent reduction in infant mortality between 2000 and 2003 in two districts in rural Tanzania.”
TEHIP Project, Tanzania: www.idrc.ca/tehip
An analytical framework
The political context – political and economic structures and processes, culture, institutional pressures, incremental vs radical change etc.
The evidence – credibility, the degree it challenges received wisdom, research approaches and methodology, simplicity of the message, how it is packaged etc
External Influences Socio-economic and cultural influences, donor policies etc
The links between policyand research communities – networks, relationships, power, competing discourses, trust, knowledge etc.
A Practical Framework
External Influences political context
evidencelinks
Politics and Policymaking
Media, Advocacy, Networking Research,
learning & thinking
Scientific information exchange & validation
Policy analysis, & research
Campaigning, Lobbying
What researchers need to know• The external environment: Who are the key
actors? What is their agenda? How do they influence the political context?
• The political context: Is there political interest in change? Is there room for manoeuvre? How do they perceive the problem?
• The evidence: Is it there? Is it relevant? Is it practically useful? Are the concepts familiar or new? Does it need re-packaging?
• Links: Who are the key individuals? Are there existing networks to use? How best to transfer the information? The media? Campaigns?
What you need to do
What need to know What need to do How to do it
Political Context:
Evidence
Links
• Who are the policymakers?• Is there demand for ideas?• What is the policy process?
• What is the current theory?• What are the narratives?• How divergent is it?
• Who are the stakeholders?• What networks exist?• Who are the connectors,
mavens and salesmen?
• Get to know the policymakers.• Identify friends and foes.• Prepare for policy
opportunities. • Look out for policy windows.
• Work with them – seek commissions
• Strategic opportunism – prepare for known events + resources for others
• Establish credibility• Provide practical solutions• Establish legitimacy.• Present clear options• Use familiar narratives.
• Build a reputation• Action-research• Pilot projects to generate
legitimacy• Good communication
• Get to know the others• Work through existing
networks.• Build coalitions.• Build new policy networks.
• Build partnerships.• Identify key networkers,
mavens and salesmen.• Use informal contacts
Policy entrepreneurs
Storytellers
Engineers
Networkers
Fixers
Practical Tools
Overarching Tools - The RAPID Framework - Using the Framework - The Entrepreneurship
Questionnaire
Context Assessment Tools- Stakeholder Analysis - Forcefield Analysis - Writeshops - Policy Mapping - Political Context Mapping
Communication Tools - Communications Strategy- SWOT analysis - Message Design - Making use of the media
Research Tools - Case Studies - Episode Studies - Surveys - Bibliometric Analysis- Focus Group Discussion
Policy Influence Tools- Influence Mapping & Power Mapping - Lobbying and Advocacy - Campaigning: A Simple Guide - Competency self-assessment
Conclusions
• focus more on policy than research• establish different incentives / culture• establish different systems• spend more on communications• engage with different actors• produce different products• be ready to seize unexpected policy
opportunities and move very fast!
To improve impact you need to really want to do it because you may need to:
For further information
ebpdn – www.ebpdn.org
RAPID - www.odi.org.uk/rapid
– Working Papers – Briefing Papers– Books– Case Studies
Contact: [email protected]