Academic partnerships could be key to filling your evidence gap

In 2019, the Cabinet Office Open Innovation Team in the UK paired with a group of academic researchers to explore how algorithms could perpetuate bias, leading to discriminatory practices. The aim of the partnership was to investigate the topic in greater depth, to grow the government’s evidence base, and for the researchers to create a report providing a holistic picture of the complexity of this topic area for policymakers.

Despite the growing ability of government to subject policies to rigorous scientific evaluations, public servants may not have the knowledge or time to conduct thorough research on their own. The Open Innovation Team is one example of how governments are building a network of academics in an effort to increase the availability of evidence for policy making and utilise the expertise of researchers.

Public servants can benefit from partnerships with research institutions, but finding the right strategy to build networks with research institutions and managing expectations is key.

Finding the right strategies

Although public servants may have the expertise to conduct research for evidence-based reviews, funding shortfalls, time limitations and science advice that may be missing can make it challenging to draw valuable conclusions about what policies are working.

Creating strategic partnerships with research institutions not only fills these gaps but promotes a more comprehensive evidence base. Academics dedicate their careers to specialising in a few subject areas, preventing them from missing the latest research or replicating anything trialled in the past, which can be another benefit of seeking out the expertise of researchers.

Building networks and curating engagement strategies based on the policy need or department is the best way to create meaningful partnerships. Jonathan Craft, associate professor at the University of Toronto Department of Public Policy and founding director of Policy Ready, said governments from around the world have advisory systems that are complex and varied, so creating an approach based on resources and opportunities should be considered.

For example, in Canada the government solicits research advice and brings in academics to brief public servants on information they find important. Additionally, some Canadian departments have assigned staff members to conduct evidence outreach and engagement while the UK mainly relies on external partnerships with academics.

The UK Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has a cross-department list comprised of a summary of the areas where they will benefit from research to support policy implementation. The aim is to have researchers contact them if they can provide evidence on a range of topics from economics to industrial strategies.

Other governments have elected to set up a select or advisory committee, comprised of a range of academics and researchers. If public servants need an answer to a policy question, the committee commissions the research to answer it, helping to analyse information and ensure it’s high-quality. These committees are formed through personal connections or open calls for researchers.

Contractual partnerships and policy reviews are another strategy for working with researchers.

David Gough, Director of the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI) within the University College of London (UCL) Institute of Education, said not only is it a lack of confidence and a lack of skills that make it difficult to make decisions based on evidence but also a lack of access to information and relationships to researchers.

Gough has been part of a contractual partnership with the UK’s Department of Health, where he has been commissioned to conduct systematic reviews and studies so that the department grows its evidence base. This research can help policymakers evaluate the effectiveness of projects and determine if an approach is likely to work in the future.

Public servants that build informal networks with researchers around policy issues in their remit are at an advantage when they need help evaluating evidence or commissioning evidence to support a new policy. Finding the right people can be a challenge, particularly if a department or agency doesn’t have an expansive network to consult.

Getting involved on an individual level can start with outreach and building a network of experts on a range of policy topics, but having organisational structures in place to obtain useful evidence is the most effective, said Gough.

For instance, organisational programs such as placement schemes that help facilitate those relationships, are one way for policymakers to get acquainted with academics. Several UK departments pair public servants with an academic by going with them to work at their institution for a few days. The scheme is a low-cost way of building a bigger network.

Another UK agency, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) created a list of over 150 academics for each policy area to make it easier to share valuable contacts internally for all DEFRA staff. While BEIS’ senior management takes all their staff to “away days” at research centres so junior public servants can have an opening to meet academics.

Maximising the relationship

Although creating partnerships can be rewarding, different working environments, communication styles, time frames and pressures can frustrate the process. The contrasts between government working styles and research institutions can be stark, but managing expectations and developing a balanced agenda can make relationships more fruitful.

For Craft, partnerships are a good fit if goals and expectations are aligned. Governments must be transparent about their objectives: not only why they are trying to foster a relationship, but also articulating exactly what they hope to get from the evidence they’ve commissioned.

A report on how to engage with academics by the UK government office for science states that often researchers are viewed as slow and deliberate while governments work on short time frames. To mitigate this, working closely with academics to ensure outputs are valuable – without micromanaging – can alleviate the pressure.

The UK report added that for successful engagement, public servants should be upfront about issues like payment for services and potential conflicts of interest, engage as early as they can in the research process and consider all academic disciplines.

Gary VanLandingham, a professor specialising in evidence-based policymaking at the Florida State University, acknowledged that sometimes it can be frustrating when public servants commission a study but don’t give academics enough time to conduct thorough research to answer the question. Even if evidence exists already, expecting researchers to do a large-scale literature review in a month isn’t feasible.

Researchers can help make pointed decisions with reason, something that may be missing in the policymaking process where political ideology can dominate. But with any relationship, navigating differences and setting expectations can relieve tension, but when it comes down to complex policy problems, what works should prevail. – Amelia Axelsen

(Picture credit: Pixabay)