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4. Context, Evidence, Links
ODI's framework for analysing research-policy linkages starts
from the question concerning 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:
- The political context
- The evidence, and how it is communicated
- The links between the actors involved
Context: The research/policy link is shaped by the
political context. In some cases the political strategies
and power relations are obvious, and are tied to the specific
institutional pressures that policymakers face. The degree
of political contestation is important. In most cases the
wider political context also plays a part – for example,
the end of the Cold War was a contextual factor that strongly
influenced shifts in policy thinking within international
development.
Evidence: The degree of attention paid to circulating ideas
is also determined by the way that those ideas are presented.
There are many academic fields that provide interesting contributions
in this regard, including the literature on interpersonal
communication, advocacy and marketing communication, media
communication and information technology, and knowledge management
and research relevance. Whether or not a circulating idea
is able to elicit an engaged response from actors depends
on a range of factors, such as the perceived credibility of
the source, the way the idea is communicated, the language
used, the layout, and the timing.
Evidence: The degree of attention paid to circulating
ideas is also determined by the way that those ideas are presented.
There are many academic fields that provide interesting contributions
in this regard, including the literature on interpersonal
communication, advocacy and marketing communication, media
communication and information technology, and knowledge management
and research relevance. Whether or not a circulating idea
is able to elicit an engaged response from actors depends
on a range of factors, such as the perceived credibility of
the source, the way the idea is communicated, the language
used, the layout, and the timing.
Links: The research/policy link is played out in the
interface between the surrounding (political) structure and
the actors involved: networks, organisations/institutions,
and individuals. Actors may interact through official policy
working groups, or through loose networks of likeminded people
who are interested in sharing ideas. The links between them
may be formal or informal.Roe shows that development policies
are often based on argument, scenarios and narratives that
do not stand up to closer scrutiny (e.g. the ‘tragedy
of the commons’ narrative, or the African ‘wood
fuel crisis’ narrative). Frequently the narratives are
directly contradicted by experience in the field. In spite
of this, the narratives persist and continue to inform policy-making,
largely because there is a strong pressure to carry on reproducing
simplifying narratives when difficult decisions have to be
made. Roe suggests that the best way of reforming outdated
narratives is not to simply present findings and expect these
to be taken into account. Frequently, if the findings do not
fit into the narrative they will merely be ignored. Instead,
researchers and practitioners wishing to promote more evidence-based
policy must try to engage with the policy narratives themselves.
This can be done by re-telling the narrative and trying to
improve it, or by introducing contradictory evidence in the
form of counter-narratives.
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