SRA course: Research into policy & practice

Research utilisation & impact: some theory & insights

The research and policy/practice relationship

• Research impact a key concern of funders• Many current attempts to evaluate impact• Need to demonstrate ‘user engagement’• Impact doesn’t just happen• Need to understand perspectives of users

Context• Users have their own agendas• Often very busy• Don’t understand the research process

&...• usually, not very interested in it• Research competes with many other

influences

Research is just one factor in policy & practice.....

Lots of other things are happening

Eg in government, it’s a bit like an iceberg - much of the activity goes on ‘below the

waterline’........

The Policy Iceberg

Implementation

Legislation

Policy Announcement

Policy Idea Sea level Party Politics Manifesto commitments Elections No 10 priorities Cabinet/Ministerial Public Opinion Political careers

Public

Political

Budgets/Resources Priorities Legal powers Operational issues Parliamentary timetables Human nature

Practical

Costing options

Reviews of evidence

Analysis of admin data

Political research

(opinion polling etc)

Commissioned research and evaluation

There’s no time to worry about the nuts and bolts of research

Research activity is a ‘black box’

Policy QuestionResearch Activity ?

Long, boring reportInconclusive resultsIrrelevant resultsResults too lateResearch expensivePolitical embarrassment‘Wrong answer’

OR

Regular feedback of resultsPolicy question answeredResearch on timeNo last minute surprisesResearch useful and used

Research findings

Clarify research questionCheck existing knowledge/re-analyse dataCheck budget/procurement rulesDesign researchCommission research Field workData processingData analysisReport writing Research-based advicePublication

What goes on inside is largely irrelevant

Research Q. Research Findings

The Policy/Practice Research Relationship

Last minute research involvementUnclear information requirementsChanging needsPoor communication (mistrust)Junior level discussionInflexible researchNo ownershipToo busy

Early research involvement

Ongoing dialogue

Senior level discussion

Research flexibility

Policy ownership

BAD RESULT

UNSATISFIED USER

GOOD RESULT

SATISFIED USER

How does the relationship work?

Many models of the relationship

Important thing is the relationship is complicated and impact is rarely instant or straightforward

Nutley et al 2002

InstrumentalLeads directly to decision

making for policy & practice

MobilisationUsed as an instrument of

persuasion to legitimise action/inaction

ConceptualLeads to changes in

knowledge, attitude or understanding

Wider InfluenceLeads to larger scale shifts

in thinking

Weiss (1979)• Knowledge –driven• Problem-solving• Interactive• Political• Tactical• Enlightenment• Research as part of the intellectual enterprise

of society

So why does research get ignored??

Barriers: structural• Timing (too late/takes too long)• Inconclusive/conflicting findings• Nature of social science knowledge• Irrelevant (asks wrong questions)

Barriers: human• Suspicion/hostility• ‘No time’• Scepticism of value (we know best)• Fear of bad news• Loss of control• No research culture

Barriers: communication

• Users not kept involved (no ownership)

• Report jargon-laden & inaccessible• Policy/practice implications not clear

What can researchers do?

Embedded processes• Embed research planning in

organisational planning• User ‘ownership’• Sticks & carrots• Organisational structures• Culture of partnership

Responsive research• Anticipating future needs• Summarising evidence• Identifying gaps• Tailoring research findings to user

needs• Bespoke advice

Centres of good practice• Evidence for Policy & Practice Information &

Co-ordinating Centre, (IOE)• Social Care Institute for Excellence• National Institute for Health and Clinical

Excellence• Research Unit for Research Utilisation (St

Andrews)• Campbell Collaboration • Cochrane• Research in Practice, Dartington

Web addresses• http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk • www.scie.org.uk• www.st-and.ac.uk/-ruru • www.nice.org.uk• www.campbellcollaboration.org • www.cochrane.org • www.rip.org.uk• www.ripfa.org.uk