The short answer is we aren’t sure.
In a recent paper, Kathryn Oliver and colleagues explored the effectiveness of various research-policy engagement initiatives. The study provides a stark assessment of the current situation, noting that despite the rapid expansion in research-policy engagement initiatives, these activities “tend not to draw on existing evidence and theory, and are mostly unevaluated.” They further observed that “the rudderless mass of activity… fails to provide useful lessons for those wishing to improve evidence use.”
Important Insights from the Paper:
Significant Increase in Activities
Since 2010, there has been a significant increase in research-policy engagement activities. The authors identified 1923 initiatives across 513 organizations in over 40 countries.
Lack of Evaluation
Despite the growth, only 6% of these initiatives have been evaluated, highlighting a critical gap in understanding their effectiveness.
Range of Activities
Engagement activities range from research dissemination to building professional partnerships. However, most initiatives focus on disseminating and communicating research, which alone is insufficient for driving policy and practice change.
Assumptions about Decision Makers
Most initiatives address the assumption that decision makers do not listen to evidence, which is still widely held despite increasing evidence to the contrary. Many initiatives refer to vague goals such as ‘research impact’ or ‘policy change,’ which hinders quality evaluation. Very few of these initiatives had evaluations available in the public domain.
Ethical and Value-based Dimensions
The authors emphasize the importance of addressing the ethical and value-based dimensions of engagement activities, ensuring they serve the broader research-policy system effectively.
Strategic Approach Needed
The study calls for future initiatives to be informed by existing evidence and to develop clear, realistic goals. This strategic approach is essential to avoid wasted resources and to make a meaningful impact on policy and practice.
Conclusion
To make a real impact, we must focus on well-evaluated, strategically designed initiatives that consider the complex policy landscape and ethical implications
