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Kathryn Oliver and Paul Cairney The Dos and Don’ts of engaging with policy. 1. Policymakers have different ideas about what counts as good evidence (and there are many ‘policymakers’ across many levels and types of government) There are many sources of policy relevant knowledge.
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Kathryn Oliver and Paul CairneyThe Dos and Don’ts of engaging with policy
1. Policymakers have different ideas about what counts as good evidence(and there are many ‘policymakers’ across many levels and types of government)There are many sources of policy relevant knowledge
2. They have to ignore almost all evidence‘Bounded rationality’ prompts 2 shortcuts:‘rational’, to set goals and identify the best sources of information to reduce uncertainty‘irrational’, to use gut-level, habitual, emotional, or belief-driven short cuts to reduce ambiguity
3. They do not control the policy process: it is not a simple cycle or set of linear stages
Bland responsesFind out where the action is (‘actors’)Learn the rules (‘institutions’)Learn the language/ currency (‘ideas’)Build trust and form alliances (‘networks’)Exploit changing conditions, crises, or events
Top tips from a systematic review of blogs • Do high quality research • Make it relevant and useable • Understand the decision-making context • Be accessible: engage routinely, flexibly and humbly • Decide if you want to be an issue advocate or honest broker • Build relationships (meaning: ground rules, and invest) • Be entrepreneurial, or find someone who is • Reflect continuously: should you engage, do you want to and is it working?
