HOW TO INFLUENCE POLICY AND PRACTICE?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Political Context

• Who are the policymakers?
• Is there policymaker demand for new ideas?
• What are the sources/strengths of resistance?
• What is the policy making process?
• What are the opportunities and timing for input into formal processes

Evidence

• What is the current theory?
• What are the prevailing narratives?
• How divergent is the new evidence?
• What sort of evidence will convince policymakers?

Links

• Who are the key stakeholders in the policy discourse?
• What links and networks exist between them?
• Who are the intermediaries and what influence do they have?
• Whose side are they on?

External Influences

• Who are the main actors in the policy process?
• What influence do they have?
• What are their priorities?
• What are their research priorities and mechanisms?

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

• Get to know the policymakers, their agendas and their constraints
• Identify potential supporters and opponents
• Keep an eye on the horizon and prepare for opportunities in regular policy processes
• Look out for and react to unexpected policy windows
• Establish credibility over the long term
• Provide practical solutions to problems
• Establish legitimacy
• Build a convincing case and present clear policy options
• Package new ideas in familiar theory or narratives
• Communicate effectively
• Get to know the other stakeholders
• Establish a presence in existing networks
• Build coalitions with like-minded stakeholders
• Build new policy networks
• Identify potential supporters, key individuals and networks
• Establish credibility

HOW TO DO IT

• Work with the policymakers
• Seek Commissions
• Line up reserach programmes with high profile policy events
• Reserve resources to be able to move quickly to respond to policy windows
• Allow sufficient time and resources
• Build up programme of high quality work
• Action-research and Pilot projects to demonstrate benefits of new approaches
• Use participatory approaches to help with legitimacy and implementation
• Clear strategy and resources for communication from start
• Face-to-face communication
• Partnerships between researchers, policymakers and communities
• Identify key networkers
• Use informal contacts