The Grand Challenge Initiative is an established, systematic process to champion social progress powered by science, research, and practice. It fosters and promotes innovation to identify and solve the grand challenges of our society. At a time of rapid political, economic, and societal change, as our society faces increasing poverty, inequality, isolation, and injustice, Samantha Baron sets out a Grand […]
Category: Evidence-based Policy
Gained in translation: adding value to research to inform policy
Within the social sciences, translating and sharing new knowledge is now common practice amongst many researchers and institutions across academia. From evidence briefings and summaries of literature to online blogs and presentations, a wide range of research evidence aims to engage policy and practitioner audiences so they can more easily access and use the evidence. Raj Patel questions whether it […]
Ten top tips for social scientists seeking to influence policy
The complex, “wicked” problems that afflict contemporary societies pose a significant challenge to those making policy decisions. The work of social scientists can be crucial to understanding the human and social consequences of such decisions, yet little guidance exists to help them bring their influence to bear. Nadine Marshall and Chris Cvitanovic have compiled ten top tips for social scientists […]
Think tanks can transform into the standard-setters and arbiters of quality of 21st century policy analysis
In recent years, think tanks have been beset by financial constraints, increased competition, and, more recently, a growing questioning of, and popular dissatisfaction with, the role of the ‘expert’ itself. Marcos Gonzalez Hernando, Diane Stone and Hartwig Pautz examine each of these challenges and find that, at a time of huge over-supply of (occasionally dubious) evidence and policy analysis from […]
Think tanks, evidence and policy: democratic players or clandestine lobbyists?
Depending on your perspective, think tanks either enrich the democratic space by conducting policy research and facilitating public dialogue and debate, or undermine democracy by pushing policies favoured by powerful corporate interests. Till Bruckner explains how Transparify are contributing to debate about think tanks’ role in evidence-based policymaking by assessing their levels of financial transparency. The Transparify report, released today, […]
The British Social Attitudes survey: how public opinion drives policy in the UK
British Social Attitudes, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), is the UK’s most established and authoritative survey of political and social attitudes. Leigh Marshall explains how the process of disseminating the survey findings has been modernized in recent years, how NatCen ensures the survey is interacting with the policymaking process, and how it’s possible to maximize its […]
Book Review: Evidence-Based Policy Making in the Social Sciences: Methods that Matter edited by Gerry Stoker and Mark Evans
In Evidence-Based Policy Making in the Social Sciences: Methods that Matter,editors Gerry Stoker and Mark Evans showcase tools through which to generate evidence-based policy insights. Released amidst discussions of a ‘post-truth’ era, this book is recommended to students looking to broaden their understanding of methods for providing meaningful evidence for policy creation, but leaves open the question of how social scientists can […]
‘Rubbing shoulders’: an understanding of networks, relationships and everyday practices is key to parliamentary engagement
Relationships and networks have a big impact on parliamentary engagement. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for those academics looking to work with Parliament as part of disseminating their research. Marc Geddes, Katharine Dommett and Brenton Prosser outline why academics must be able to ‘rub shoulders’ with parliamentary staff, building shared understandings and personal trust which can circumvent common barriers around […]
Oral history as a method to analyse historical and cultural contexts and inform policymaking: the example of the early AIDS epidemic
On this World AIDS Day, Marco Scalvini and Chris Parkes describe how their new oral history project aims to create a new digital archive that will help researchers better understand the early AIDS epidemic and the new model of therapeutic alliance that emerged, in particular. Oral history is an effective research method to explore and analyse the historical and cultural […]
Ideas boom or innovation bust? Could Australia’s ‘ideas agenda’ stifle real innovation?
Australia’s so-called ‘ideas boom’ comes at a cost to research funding and sustainable infrastructure, Kanishka Jayasuriya and Carol Johnson write. An emphasis on entrepreneurial culture at the expense of wider public research investment risks socialising the risks of research and privatising the benefits, which ultimately may do lasting harm to both sectors. Innovation is a central part of Australian Prime Minister […]