| Impact and Insight:
The Policy, Research and Practice Interface
Evidence-based Policy is the new buzzword in policy making. Emerging
from the Health Sector in the early 80s, adopted, promoted and institutionalised
by New Labour as the basis for UK government policy, how to improve
the contribution of research to policy and practice is an increasingly
important concern for research funders and policymakers in developed
and developing countries. The ESRC-funded Evidence
Network and other organisations have been studying evidence-based
policy in the UK, while the Overseas
Development Institute, has been exploring the same issues in
developing countries. Common themes are emerging, and there are
useful lessons to learn in both directions.
This workshop series brings together researchers, practitioners
and policy makers who have been studying these issues in both developed
and developing countries to explore the interactions between research
and policy across a range of fields and policy issues. The meetings
are "generalist", i.e. covering a number of different
fields, aim to identify common lessons and approaches to strengthen
evidence-based policy, and will build a community of practice in
this area, centred upon, but not limited to the UK. The meetings
will be held quarterly in London, hosted alternately by CEPR and
ODI.
The meetings start at 3.00 pm, include at least two presentations,
one based on work in a developed country, the other from a developing
country, and discussion, and are followed by drinks and snacks and/or
a meal to allow more informal discussions.
First Meeting: Monday
17th October at 3.00 pm at the Overseas Development Institute
The first meeting in the series aimed to explore what we already
know about the research/policy/practice interface and identify the
important gaps in our knowledge and to identify themes and approaches
for subsequent workshops. The speakers were Phil Davies
Deputy Director, Government Social Research Unit, Cabinet Office,
Fred Carden, Director of the Evaluation Unit, International
Development Research Centre, Canada and Matthew Quinn, Head
of the Strategic Policy Unit, The National Assembly for Wales. Click
here for the full report and access to the background materials.
Second Meeting: Thursday 25th October 2007 at 3.00 pm at King's College
At the first meeting in the series, participants suggested that a focus on more practical examples and tools of evidence-based policy making would be helpful. Therefore, the aim of this second meeting was to present on and gain experience using two specific tools: lines of argument and outcome mapping. Louise Shaxson (Delta/DEFRA) introduced lines of argument while Enrique Mendizabal (ODI) led a discussion on outcome mapping. Click here for the full report and access to the background materials.
For further information please contact:
 
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