How far does research influence policy?

Abstract

This paper argues that there are ways of making research more amenable to the needs of policy makers and policy makers more sympathetic to the needs of researchers by investing in greater analysis of the links between research and policy. It shows how many in public health hold contradictory conceptual pictures of the research process, assuming a rational ratherthan enlightenment model of the policy process. By acknowledging the barriers to research affecting policy it becomes easier to build strategies around the dissemination of research so that it becomes more accessible to policy makers. Thus, researchers need to take into account the extent to which politics may affect how much notice policy makers take of research findings, they need to consider how far scientific uncertainty leads to distortion or inaction in policy making and they need to consider issues around timing and communication of research results, recognizing policy makers' short-term horizons and the need for clear presentation of scientific findings. The paper ends by arguing that those in public health need to pay far more attention to the policy environment, looking not just at policy content, but also at the processes of policy. By using a policy analysis framework it is possible to identify and overcome the barriers to research influencing policy.