AERC GDNet Policy Briefs Workshop - December 2013

1. AERC
Policy Briefs Workshop
SAFARI PARK HOTEL
NAIROBI
December 6-8th 2013

2. TO INCREASE
UNDERSTANDING
of research to policy
processes, and the role of
Policy Briefs in this process
TO BUILD CAPACITY AND
SKILLS in communicating
research to maximise uptake
and impact
TO PRODUCE an outline Policy Brief for each research
project, to be finalised after the workshop

3. WHY COMMUNICATING RESEARCH MATTERS
“Success depends on knowing what works”
Bill Gates, (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($33.5bn 2009)
“In development research, to get a new discovery
into policy and practice is just as important as the
discovery itself.”
Maureen O’Neil, President and CEO International Development
Research Centre
Donor countries spend over US$2bn annually on
development research and are increasingly asking
the question: “Is this value for money?”
RAPID Programme, 2003

4. •
•
•
•
•
•
MOBILE PHONES TURNED OFF
KEEP TO TIME
RESPECT EACHOTHERS’
CONTRIBUTIONS
NO EMAILING DURING SESSIONS
…..
…..

5. http://gdnetcairo.pbworks.com/w/page/70989
203/Agenda%20%20GDNet%20AERC%20Policy%20Brief%20%20December%202013#view=page

6. THE ONGOING MYSTERY OF GETTING RESEARCH INTO USE

7. THE LINEAR MODEL
Research report
on results of
clinical trials
Summary
research report
sent out to
clinicians and
health
policymakers
Fig 1: A linear model of
evidence into policy
Health policy is
changed
reflecting
research results
Clinician
practice is
changed

8. A SYSTEMS MODEL
Local
traditional
authorities
Agriculture
CSO
Health
CSO
International
health NGO
National
think tank
Local
government
Ministry of
Health
International
agricultural
NGO
WHO
National
Agricultural
Research System
International
think tank
Ministry of
Women’s
Affairs
Ministry of
Agriculture
Fig 3: a systems model of evidence and policy
Ministry of
Environment
and Water

9. POLICY PROCESSES ARE...
Cabinet
Donors
Policy
Formulation
Agenda
Setting
Parliament
Decision
Making
Civil Society
Monitoring and
Evaluation
Private
Sector
Ministries
Policy
Implementation
Thanks ODI for this slide

10. Political
Expediency
Costs & Benefits
Effectiveness
EVIDENCE
Side effects
Choice of Goals
From Cartright and Hardie; ‘Evidence-Based
Policy: a Guide to doing it better’, 2012
Resources
Values and
Policy Context

11. contested
Do you think the policy outcome is...
contested
established
Cause and effect can only be
Issues are ‘knowable’ and can be
seen in retrospect and do not
researched: cause and effect can
repeat. Nobody is ‘the
be established. Domain of
expert’: we’re not even sure
expert knowledge, questions can
we have the right question,
be answered with the right
never mind the answer.
information.
Complex, emergent
Knowable - researchable
Multiple
interpretations
established
...do you think the knowledge is...
Structuring policy issues
Chaotic
Issues are chaotic – new
evidence causes confusion
rather than clarifies. No
cause and effect can be seen.
Known - simple
Cause and effect is known:
best practice guidance can be
issued.
Domain of yes / no answers
to questions
Clearly adapted from the Cynefin knowledge management framework. See Shaxson, L (2009) Structuring policy problems for plastics, the
environment and human health: reflections from the UK. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 364, 2141-2151. doi: 10.1098/rstb. 2008.0283

12. Discursive
changes
1. Discursive changes: These refer to changes in the labels
or narratives of policy actors. They reflect a new or
improved understanding of a subject -- even if it does not
imply an effective change of policy or practice.
Procedural
changes
2. Procedural changes: changes in the way certain
processes are undertaken e.g. the incorporation of
consultations to closed processes, or small changes in the
way that national policies are implemented in the field.
Content
changes
3. Content changes: changes in the content of policies
including strategy papers, legislation and budgets. These
are formal changes in the policy framework.
Attitudinal
changes
Behavioural
changes
4. Attitudinal changes: changes in the way policy actors
think about a given issue. This is important where key
stakeholders have high influence but lack interest in a
policy area or are not necessarily aligned with the policy
objectives of the programme.
5. Behavioural changes: These refer to more durable
changes in the way that policy actors behave (act or relate
to others) as a consequence of formal and informal
changes in discourse, process and content.

13. OUR CURRENT POLICYMAKING CYCLE…AND
WHERE ARE
WHERE IT DRAWS ON EVIDENCE
YOU BEING
HEARD?
Monitoring &
evaluation
Horizon
scanning
WHERE DOES
YOUR
RESEARCH
COME IN?
MOUs, formal
agreements
Legislation,
regulation,
expenditure
Target-setting
(incl MCDM)
Stakeholder
analysis
Impact
assessments
Risk
assessments
?
Codes of
conduct
From: http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/workbook1.pdf
?
Standards,
benchmarking
?
? ?
Informal
consultation
Research
Formal
written
consultation
Citizens
juries, focus
groups, wikis

14. THE ODI RAPID FRAMEWORK
•ENCOURAGES structured
questions about the context,
actors, prevailing narratives and
extent of evidence use
•EMPASISES importance of
‘policy windows’ and building
up influence within the policy
process
•HIGHLIGHTS all the other
factors besides quality of
research

15. PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE
What researchers need to know
What researchers need to do
How to do it
Political Context:
• 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
• Who are the policymakers?
• Is there demand for ideas?
• What is the policy process?
Evidence
• What is the current theory?
• What are the narratives?
• How divergent is it?
Links
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What networks exist?
• Who are the connectors,
mavens and salesmen?
•
•
•
•
•
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

16. BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO
INFLENCE/INFORM
FOR EXAMPLE, INFUENCING
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES…
•
OR INFORMING PUBLIC POLICIES
•
Discursive changes: reflect a new or improved
understanding of a subject
•
Procedural changes: changes in the way certain
processes are undertaken.
Practitioners are aware of findings from
research
•
Practitioners accept the research findings
•
Practitioners view the research findings as •
locally applicable
•
Practitioners view the research findings as
doable within the local context
•
Practitioners adopt the research findings
•
Practitioners adhere to the research
•
Attitudinal changes: changes in the way policy
actors think about a given issue.
•
Behavioural changes: more durable changes in
the way that policy actors behave (act or relate
to others) as a consequence of formal and
informal changes in discourse, process and
content.
Practitioners act on the research findings
•
Content changes: changes in the content of
policies including strategy papers, legislation
and budgets.
findings

17. START WITH WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE NEEDS TO KNOW….NOT
WHAT YOU WANT TO TELL THEM..
“But this
is the simplified version for the general public….”
• What is simple to the researcher is not always clear to the audience..
• What your audience NEEDS TO KNOW IS AS IMPORTANT as what you want to say to them

18. BE PRACTICAL ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE..
RECEPTION
reception means that research has been received by an individual
lands on the desk, but the findings might never be read.
COGNITION
The next stage occurs when research is read and understood.
REFERENCE
When research changes way of thinking – provokes a shift in an
individual’s“frame of reference”, for example in terms of defining
key problems and priorities.
EFFORT
Research has shaped action: some effort has been made to get
the findings adopted, even if this is ultimately unsuccessful.
ADOPTION
Adoption means that research has had a direct influence on the
actual policy
IMPLEMENTATION
While research may have been used to develop policy, at this
stage it has also been translated into practice on the ground.
IMPACT
Utilisation of research when the implemented policy is successful
in producing tangible benefits to the citizens.