Knowledge Translation: Using research to inform health-care policy and practice
CHSRF/CIHR Research Internship, May - July 2006

How does research contribute to policy? Traditionally, the link between research findings and policy processes has been viewed as a linear process, whereby a set of research findings is shifted from the 'research sphere' over to the 'policy sphere', and then has some impact on policy-makers' decisions. This traditional view is now being questioned. It is no longer assumed that research influences policy in a one-way process (the linear model), or that there is a clear divide between researchers and policy-makers (the two communities model). Instead, literature on the research-policy link is now moving towards a more dynamic and complex view that emphasises a two-way process between research and policy, shaped by multiple relations and reservoirs of knowledge. This shift reflects the fact that the subject area has generated greater interest in the past few years. However, there is still a limited number of case studies, and it is often difficult to explain why some policies become evidence-based while others seem to remain evidence-averse.

In order to improve understanding and awareness in this area, RAPID has developed both a conceptual framework and collected a number of case studies. The traditional question could be phrased: 'How can research be transported from the research to the policy sphere?' Now, however, the question concerns research uptake pathways: 'Why are some of the ideas that circulate in the research/policy networks picked up and acted on, while others are ignored and disappear?' The answer to this seems to lie in a combination of several determining influences, which can broadly be divided into three areas: (1) Political context, (2) Evidence, and (3) Links. In addition, the ongoing work has shown that a fourth area is crucial, namely: (4) External factors. This conceptual framework has been applied to fifty short case studies from around the world (ODI Working Paper 213), and four in-depth case studies for the edited volume Bridging Research and Policy in Development; Evidence and the Change Process .

The Problem
The dimensions of the problem are well illustrated by the following three quotes:

• Policy Processes are not linear and logical: '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' - Edward Clay, 1984
  
• Much research is irrelevant: 'Most policy research on African agriculture is irrelevant to agricultural and overall economic policy in Africa' - Steve Were Omamo, 2003
  
• Policymakers are not interested: policymakers 'seem to regard "research" as the opposite of "action" rather than the opposite of "ignorance".' - Martin Surr, 2002

Lessons
Based on over five years of theoretical and case study research, ODI's Research and Policy in Development programme has developed a simple analytical framework and practical tools that can help researchers to make better use of research-based evidence in development policy and practice. For this to happen more effectively researchers need to do three things:

• First, they need to develop a detailed understanding of i) the policymaking process - what are the key influencing factors, and how do they relate to each other? ii) the nature of the evidence they have, or hope to get - is it credible, practical and operationally useful? and iii) all the other stakeholders involved in the policy area - who else can help to get the message across?
  
• Second, they need to develop an overall strategy for their work - identify political supporters and opponents, keep an eye out for, and be able to react to policy windows, ensure the evidence is credible and practically useful, and build coalitions with like-minded groups.
  
• Third, they need to be entrepreneurial - get to know, and work with the policymakers, build long term programmes of credible research, communicate effectively, use participatory approaches, identify key networkers and salesmen and use shadow networks.

Suggested reading

• Bridging Research and Policy in International Development: An Analytical and Practical Framework. John Young and Julius Court, RAPID Briefing Paper 1, October 2004
  
• Bridging Research and Policy in Development: Evidence and the Change Process. Edited by Julius Court, Ingie Hovland and John Young, ITDG Publishing.
  This edited volume contains four in-depth case studies which are also available individually in Working Paper format:
  
• Bridging Research and Policy: An Annotated Bibliography. Maja de Vibe, Ingie Hovland and John Young, ODI Working Paper 174, September 2002
  
• Bridging Research and Policy: Context, Evidence and Links. Emma Crewe (UCL) and John Young (ODI), ODI Working Paper 173, June 2002
  
• Bridging Research and Policy: Insights from 50 Case Studies. Julius Court and John Young, ODI Working Paper 213, August 2003
  
• Tools for Policy Impact: A toolkit to help researchers achieve greater impact.
  
• Successful Communication: 23 research communication tools, divided into the following categories: 'Planning', 'Packaging', 'Targeting' and 'Monitoring'.
  
• A Toolkit for Progressive Policymakers in Developing Countries: based on approaches from Evidence-based Policymaking (EBP) in the UK.

View Powerpoint presentation (1.5mb) or slide overview in pdf format ( 293kb)

For more information on this seminar contact John Young