You increase your odds of choosing the right message, medium, and messenger if you understand how the people you are trying to influence process information. Oxfam Great Britain has some experience in this area, and in a new paper by some of their team – “Using Evidence to Influence Policy: Oxfam’s Experience” – they lay out the lessons they’ve learned over the years. To be successful, you need to be open to different ways of working. And finally, “the messenger can be as important as the message.” It doesn’t always have to be the researcher who goes out and communicates results; key allies may be better placed to deliver the word. Check it out, then go forth and co-produce research questions with decisionmakers, “stay agile, engage with policymakers readily and continuously, respond quickly to events, test and learn from your strategies.” Easy, right? 10 things you need to know if you want to use research to influence policy. It starts with a power analysis – and not the kind that economists and statisticians are used to thinking about. Policies are most effective if those affected are consulted are supportive and have the opportunity to consider and discuss the potential implications of the policy. But it can also involve asking questions that you know are relevant to current policy debates (and answering them before the debates have concluded). Poverty, conflict, migration, disease and natural disasters are just some of the reasons why many people don’t have access to quality basic services and opportunities. 5. Over the years, the healthcare system has changed significantly and it is still changing. “The way in which evidence is coproduced, framed, timed and presented can be as important as its substance.” In most of our impact evaluations, we spend months or even years getting the design right, gathering the right data, making sure the analysis is responsible. “Policymakers in the middle of a political change or crisis, and who are seeking advice, are also far likelier to pick up the phone to researchers they already know than to make new contacts or start reading unsolicited reports.” Cultivating relationships with policymakers takes time, but it can yield significantly opportunities for policy impact – you’re the expert they call when they need evidence. “Identify the actors with the power to change policy, and the actors able to influence policymakers.” Government ministers, their advisors, the broader public, and many actors in between have a role to play in influencing policy. As a matter of fact, nurses can effectively carry out quality improvement tasks. But the substance of the research is just the beginning of policy impact. Interest groups influence public policy by gathering American citizens together with similar concerns and presenting those concerns to officials. This site uses cookies to optimize functionality and give you the best possible experience. Public policies that seek to address these challenges will only work if the choices made by decision-makers, technical or political, are informed by the best available evidence. How to use evidence to influence policy? First, humanize complex issues. 3. 6. We learn from people and policy makers (and people in other disciplines) what big new/unsolved problems are out there, and how institutions (formal and informal) really work.” (See #1 above.) But great research is informed by engaging with people outside of our academic circles. Influence the adoption of a preferred policy option (e.g., Educate/Lobby decision makers about the cost benefits of tax incentives for businesses that assure a living wage for their employees) [policy … 4. “One of the least effective ways to use research for influence is to write a paper and then ask ‘right, who do I send it to?’” Making sure that your published paper gets into the right hands is worthwhile, but it’s far more effective to design research with policy impact in mind. The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly, Using Evidence to Influence Policy: Oxfam’s Experience. Fourth, perfect your 30 second elevator pitch. Follow @@jonnelledge But the results of well-crafted impact evaluations can be more useful for improving the design of social programs. Consult with appropriate stakeholders. The beginner's guide to how to influence government policy. Mid- to high level civil servants are also prone to moving around a lot. This may involve recycling material later or using midline results when policy debates arise before we arrive at the end of the evaluation. 7. Other key actors include companies, the voters, and “hidden and informal influencers.” The work of the researchers we fund can influence policy guidelines. As economist Rachel Glennerster recently wrote, “Answer a really important hotly contested question well.”. If you are familiar with the behavioural pattern of governments, political parties and policymakers, you are better able to influence their behaviour and policy. Oxfam has an extensive, impressive apparatus for this. “Most of Oxfam’s global campaigns start with a major piece of foundational research and campaign report which lays out basic analysis and policy recommendations which may then be followed by shorter briefings and/or media releases framed and timed to coincide with changing events and windows of opportunity.” Take your research, identify the policies you’d like to see it influence, then choose the tools (see here) based on the opportunities. Around the world, we are facing enormous challenges. 2. "Ultimately, policy is communication, so getting involved in that as a postdoc is very helpful." Learn how the World Bank Group is helping countries with COVID-19 (coronavirus). But influencing policy is neither easy nor automatic – you need to want to do it. Thus, for the betterment of the system, nurses should adapt to these changes. The global WOMAN trial, which we co-funded, showed that tranexamic acid (TXA) can prevent almost one in three maternal deaths caused by severe bleeding if it’s given within three hours of birth. “Identify the actors with the power to change policy, and the actors able to influence policymakers.” Government ministers, their advisors, the broader public, and many actors in between have a role to play in influencing policy.