2. RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS ?
• “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
An opportunity looking for a home – Research Communications at IDRC, IDRC, 2011
4. “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, E. J. and Schaffer, B. B
(eds.) 1986)
RESEARCH TO POLICY LINKAGES:
WHAT WE KNOW THAT WE KNOW…..
6. HOW TO BE EFFECTIVE IN THIS COMPLEX WORLD
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
Notas del editor
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: These refer to changes in the way certain processes are undertaken. For example, the incorporation of consultations to otherwise closed processes, or small changes in the way that national policies are implemented in the field. Content changes: These refer to changes in the content of policies including strategy papers, legislation and budgets. These are formal changes in the policy framework. Attitudinal changes: These refer to changes in the way policy actors think about a given issue. This might be an important change to target in the event that key stakeholders have high influence but lack interest in a policy area or are not necessarily aligned with the policy objectives of the programme.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.