Rob Greenwood, Ph.D., Executive Director Canadian Research Data Centre Network Annual Conference

1. Mobilizing Knowledge for Better Public Policy:Lessons from the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, Memorial University of Newfoundland Rob Greenwood, Ph.D., Executive Director Canadian Research Data Centre Network Annual Conference Fredericton, Oct. 22, 2012

2. Outline • Knowledge mobilization • Harris Centre • Yaffle • Lessons re. Governments • Lessons re. Policy Stakeholders • Tactical Considerations • Final Thoughts / Lessons

3. Knowledge Mobilization: Harris Centre Perspective • Continuum of inside-out, outside-in and co-production Ideally: • Engage stakeholders to define issues / needs / opportunities • Involve partners in knowledge generation • Ground-truth findings to inform conclusions • Recognize independence of researcher • Dissemination / application have many champions…

4. Harris Centre Mandate • Established October 2004 • Coordinate and Facilitate the University’s Activities Relating to Regional Policy and Development • Advise on Building the University’s Capacity • Identify Priority Themes and Projects relating to: • Teaching • Research • Outreach • Emerging role: Honest Broker

5. Harris CentreKnowledge Mobilization Programs and Initiatives • Public Presentations • Invitation-only Sessions • Targeted Research Funding • Knowledge Exchange • Packaging Research to Meet Needs • Regional Workshops • New Opportunity Identification: “one-pagers” • Yaffle.ca

6. A ‘marketplace’ for information

7. What’s a Yaffle?

8. What’s a Yaffle?

9. Yaffle Today • Over 105,000 searches since public launch (Feb. 2009) • Accessed from 182 countries over 6 continents • Average of 100 users per day • Graduate Students using Yaffle for thesis topics • Identification of Internships • Government, Community and Media constant users • 2012 (so far) – over 20 new brokered projects

10. Yaffle Statistics & Next Steps • 1600+ Lay Summaries • 150+ Opportunities • 900+ Researcher and Staff Expertise Profiles • University of Alberta and University of New Brunswick interest in adopting Yaffle; discussions under way • Extension of Yaffle outside Memorial to research and knowledge mobilization partners within NL, including College system • Exploring links with MUN Research Repository: searchable archive of reports, presentations, conference papers and more

11. Harris Knowledge Mobilization Process

12. Lessons re. Governments (1) • Politicians with Imposter Syndrome • provide background / context to data • don’t get bogged down in methodology • plain language • stories; examples; cases • charts, graphs, maps • policy options; pros and cons

13. Lessons re. Governments (2) • Politicians without Imposter Syndrome • Type 1: confident; open to policy debate • same as last slide: enjoy! • Type 2: defensive; ideological • focus on bureaucrats; stakeholders; media

14. Lessons re. Governments (3) • Working with Bureaucrats (1) • Central Agencies: they are smarter than you (and everyone) • publish in peer review journals • attach yourself to a prestigious think tank or academic star • partner with industry associations • get quoted in the Globe; The Economist is better (they’re not actually smarter than you)

15. Lessons re. Governments (4) • Working with Bureaucrats (2) • Line Departments • Develop relationships with policy and program leads in your area • have lunch • invite to conferences: ask them to present, or chair a session, or be on a panel • add to list serves / e-mail relevant articles • build trust

16. Lessons re. Governments (5) • Working with Bureaucrats (3) • Line Departments (cont’d.) • Design engaged research • engage in problem identification • draw on policy, program knowledge • ground truth emerging findings • jointly develop knowledge mobilization plan • develop policy briefs, one-pagers, lay summaries: meet their needs

17. Lessons re. Governments (6) • Rule by auditor: • nobody moves, nobody gets hurt • keep money / focus inside government: more control • keep money / focus inside department: even more control • look for government – wide strategies, inter-departmental committees, cutting across the silos: outside individual department control • monitoring and evaluation / performance measures is an opportunity: needs data • Patience

18. Lessons re. Policy Stakeholders • Same lessons re. knowledge mobilization / engagement • intermediary organizations / umbrellas (NGOs, communities, industry, special interests) • they are bridges into their constituency • Media • cultivate relationships • answer their calls / meet their deadlines • draw on data; explain implications; use stories • they are bridges to public (good luck with that)

19. Tactical Considerations (1) • Remember path dependency / institutional “lock in” • think of ways to get interests at the table in new ways, that don’t fit their traditional way of doing business • cross-gov’t strategy; task force; white paper • multi-stakeholder process • don’t expect old institutional interests to change their approach in familiar situations

20. Tactical Considerations (2) • Universities and colleges matter (more and more) • public engagement / knowledge mobilization greater recognition and support • students want to engage / aren’t entrenched • university faculty independence is useful in speaking truth to power • colleges on the ground / applied • find the bridges; build your own www.yaffle.ca; Harris Centre, CRDCN; etc.

21. Tactical Considerations (3) • The strength of weak ties • use networks (provincial, national, international organizations) • target key influencers • social media • media • others?

22. Harris Centre Knowledge Mobilization: Final Thoughts / Lessons • Never overestimate capacity of community, government, industry partners • Communicate in terms appropriate to audience • Nothing succeeds like success: communicate successes • Create informal / accessible “spaces” • physical and virtual • Don’t compromise independence and integrity: that’s the product you’re selling

23. Thank you! • Comments? • Questions? • Opportunities?! robg@mun.ca