Pabitra Gurung, PhD Studentgurung@unbc.ca

Presentation for the course NRES-803Natural Resources and Environmental Studies

(NRES)Univers ity of Northern Brit ish Columbia

Prince George, BC, CANADA

Role of Research in Policy Making

(in terms of policy research)

Policy Formulation Process Experience-based Policy Making Evidence-based Policy Making Policy Research Problems: Linking Research to Policy Conclusions Discussion Questions

Outline

Policy Formulation Process

Stages of Policy Formulation Process

1. Developing the Policy Agenda2. Identifying the Specific Objectives & Policy Options3. Evaluating the Options4. Advancing Recommendations

5. Building a Consensus

6. Legislation

7. Implementation8. Policy Evaluation & Impact Assessment

Important stages where research results can be feed into process

the right information,

in the right form,at the right time

Politics and Policy

making

Media,Advocacy,Networking

Research, learning &

thinking

Factors which Influence Policy Formulation Process

Political context

Links Evidence

External

Influence

External

Influence

Campaigning & Lobbying

Policy analysis & research

Scientific information exchange & validation

Local Innovation

System

Immergence in innovation

facilitation and realization

Experience-based Policy Making

Local Policies

National Policies

International

PoliciesProvide interaction with international

policy making

Connecting national policies to local

innovation system

Policy makers access and use

research to inform policy

How evidence-based is policy?

Evidence-based Policy Making

Evidence-based policy

contributes to development

Dem

and

Policy makers have incentives

to access and use research

Why use research?

Policy makers have capacity to access and use

research

How evidence-literate are policy makers?

Supp

ly

Relevant research is effectively

communicated to policy makers

How well connected are policy makers and

research?

How well is research communicated to policy

makers?

Policy ResearchPolicy Research is a special type of research that can provide communities and decision-makers with useful recommendations and possible actions for resolving fundamental

problems.Policy Makers

GovernmentUniversities

Policy Organizations

IndividualsPrivate Sectors

Community Organizations

Special Interest Groups

Lobbying GroupsVoluntary Sector

Pragmatic

Action-oriented Recommendatio

ns

IssuesQuestionsProblems

Type of Policy Research1. CASE STUDIES

Analyze experiences of organizations or

communities

4. SURVEYSIdentify opinions and concerns of peoples

and community through

questionnaires or polls

6. QUALITATIVE METHODS

Analyze narrative data from focus

groups, interviews, observation

2. FIELD EXPERIMENTS

Analyze gather data and information;

Monitor and evaluate impacts

7. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS

Compare cost and benefit of alternative

policy options

3. SECONDARY ANALYSISStatistical

examination of data from the databases

5. REVIEW OF RESEARCH

Based on research findings: articles,

discussions, experiences, memoranda

POLICY RESEARC

H

Major Sources of Information in Policy Research1. SPECIALIZED

POLICY UNITPolicy & Planning

Departments of the Government

4. ACADEMIC COMMUNITY

Universities/Research Institute

(Source of Knowledge)

6. POLLSPublic opinion on

specific topics

2. OFFICIAL STATISTICS

Data on the economic and political aspects

of society

7. MEDIANewspapers, Radio, Television, Internet

3. THINK TANKSNGOs that engage in the study of public

policy

5. TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGEAccumulated

knowledge passed from generation to

generation

SOURCESOF

INFORMATION

How Policy Research can be used in Policy Making?

- Identify specific issues or problem

- Influence policy making process

Recognizing Problems and

Identifying Issues

- Monitor and evaluate impacts

- Answer questions- Identify areas for

improvement- Refine solutions

Monitoring Process and Evaluating

Impact

- Implement strategies- Gather evidence to support

proposed solutions

Supporting a Selected Plan of

Action

- Identify key policy issues- Identify potential solutions

Understanding Key Issues

RESEARCH FOR THE POLICY MAKING PROCESS

Problems: Linking Research to Policy

Importance & Acknowledgem

ent of Research

Pragmatic & Data

Reliability

Participation of Key

Stakeholders

Information Accessibility

& Interpretatio

n

Simplicity & Translation

Level of Understandin

gCopy and

Paste

Scope and Target

External Influences

Conclusions Research can play a major role in the policy making process,

so that the focus should be on policy research Policy research will be effective for the sustainable

development national or local level Participation of different stakeholders and community is

required to address the specific issues and problems The academic and policy makers should work together for

evidence-based policy making. Policy brief is essential for policy maker Concise and readable abstracts or summaries in simpler

language

Therefore, researchers and policy-makers need to cooperate closely to understand specific needs, ensure relevance of topics, and improve communication, dissemination and implementation of the research recommendations.

Discussion Questions Why research to policy? What is the role of policy makers and

researchers in the process of policy making? How can the usefulness of research in policy

making be increased? How to make applied research policy-

relevant? What is the evidence in evidence-based

policy making?

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