AERC Policy Briefs Workshop

SAFARI PARK HOTEL NAIROBI

December 6-8th 2013

TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING of research to policy processes, and the role of Policy Briefs in this process

TO PRODUCE an outline Policy Brief for each research project, to be finalised after the workshop

TO BUILD CAPACITY AND SKILLS in communicating research to maximise uptake and impact

“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

WHY COMMUNICATING RESEARCH MATTERS

• MOBILE PHONES TURNED OFF • KEEP TO TIME • RESPECT EACHOTHERS’

CONTRIBUTIONS • NO EMAILING DURING SESSIONS • ….. • …..

http://gdnetcairo.pbworks.com/w/page/70989203/Agenda%20-%20GDNet%20AERC%20Policy%20Brief%20-%20December%202013#view=page

THE ONGOING MYSTERY OF GETTING RESEARCH INTO USE

THE LINEAR MODEL

Research report on results of clinical trials

Summary research report

sent out to clinicians and

health policymakers

Health policy is changed reflecting

research results

Clinician practice is changed

Fig 1: A linear model of evidence into policy

A SYSTEMS MODEL

Health CSO

Local government

Agriculture CSO

Local traditional authorities

International agricultural

NGO

National think tank

International think tank

Ministry of Agriculture

Ministry of Health

Ministry of Women’s

Affairs

Ministry of Environment

and Water

WHO

National Agricultural

Research System

International health NGO

Fig 3: a systems model of evidence and policy

Monitoring and Evaluation

Agenda Setting Decision

Making

Policy Implementation

Policy Formulation

POLICY PROCESSES ARE...

Civil Society

Donors Cabinet

Parliament

Ministries

Private Sector

Thanks ODI for this slide

From Cartright and Hardie; ‘Evidence-Based Policy: a Guide to doing it better’, 2012

Political Expediency

Evidence Effectiveness

Resources

Values and Policy Context

Choice of Goals

Side effects

Costs & Benefits

EVIDENCE

Known - simple Cause and effect is known: best practice guidance can be issued. Domain of yes / no answers to questions

Do you think the policy outcome is...

...d

o y

ou

th

ink

the

kno

wle

dg

e is

... contested established

con

test

ed

esta

blis

hed

Issues are ‘knowable’ and can be researched: cause and effect can be established. Domain of expert knowledge, questions can be answered with the right information.

Knowable - researchable

Chaotic Issues are chaotic – new evidence causes confusion rather than clarifies. No cause and effect can be seen.

Cause and effect can only be seen in retrospect and do not repeat. Nobody is ‘the expert’: we’re not even sure we have the right question, never mind the answer. Complex, emergent

Structuring policy issues

Multiple interpretations

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

Discursive changes

Procedural changes

Content changes

Attitudinal changes

Behavioural 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.

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.

3. Content changes: changes in the content of policies including strategy papers, legislation and budgets. These are formal changes in the policy framework.

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.

OUR CURRENT POLICYMAKING CYCLE…AND WHERE IT DRAWS ON EVIDENCE

From: http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/workbook1.pdf

Horizon scanning

Impact assessments

Risk assessments

Stakeholder analysis

Citizens juries, focus groups, wikis Research

Monitoring & evaluation

Target-setting (incl MCDM)

Codes of conduct

MOUs, formal agreements

Standards, benchmarking

Legislation, regulation,

expenditure

Informal consultation

Formal written

consultation

WHERE DOES YOUR RESEARCH COME IN?

? ?

?

WHERE ARE YOU BEING

HEARD?

?

?

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

PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE

What researchers need to know What researchers 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

• 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 act on the research findings

• Practitioners adopt the research findings

• Practitioners adhere to the research

findings

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.

• Content changes: changes in the content of policies including strategy papers, legislation and budgets.

• 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.

“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

START WITH WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE NEEDS TO KNOW….NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO TELL THEM..

RECEPTION

COGNITION

REFERENCE

EFFORT

ADOPTION

IMPLEMENTATION

IMPACT

reception means that research has been received by an individual lands on the desk, but the findings might never be read.

The next stage occurs when research is read and understood.

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.

Research has shaped action: some effort has been made to get the findings adopted, even if this is ultimately unsuccessful.

Adoption means that research has had a direct influence on the actual policy

While research may have been used to develop policy, at this stage it has also been translated into practice on the ground. Utilisation of research when the implemented policy is successful in producing tangible benefits to the citizens.

BE PRACTICAL ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE..