Storytelling and evidence-based policy: lessons from the grey literature

Brett Davidson

doi:10.1057/palcomms.2017.93

Abstract

A number of authors interested in how to translate evidence into policy identify the importance of policy narrative and argue that advocates of scientific evidence need to tell good stories to grab the attention and appeal to the emotions of policymakers. Yet, this general call for better narratives is incomplete without concrete examples and evidence of their effectiveness. This article shows how these processes are described in the “grey” literature—defined as literature which is produced by all levels of government, academics, business and industry, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers. This literature is often missed by scientists but more important to activists and advocates within social movements and the non-profit sector who frequently engage with or seek to influence policymakers. The article outlines some of the ways in which an understanding of policymaker psychology and factors such as group dynamics and political context are reflected in the grey literature, and the implications of this for understanding the role of storytelling in political advocacy. It highlights practical advice about storytelling that emerges from the literature, and presents four case studies illustrating aspects of storytelling in action. It concludes by identifying the implications for scientists and other advocates of “evidence informed policymaking”, practitioners and policymakers.

Highlights

To ensure research findings are taken up into policy, scientists and social researchers need a more sophisticated understanding of policymaker psychology and the role of factors such as group dynamics and the rules that people follow within organizations
While Cairney and Kwiatkowski may lament the absence of advice within academia on how to make use of the insights such scholars have offered, there is a large body of grey literature that does focus on providing practical guidance for those seeking to ensure uptake of evidence into policy
There is recognition within the academic literature focused on evidence-informed policy that scientists need a more sophisticated understanding of policymaker psychology and the role of factors such as group dynamics and the rules that people follow within organizations

Summary

Introduction

To ensure research findings are taken up into policy, scientists and social researchers need a more sophisticated understanding of policymaker psychology and the role of factors such as group dynamics and the rules that people follow within organizations. I will highlight some of the key advice about storytelling that emerges from the literature, and point to a few of the resources that are available to scientists or other academic researchers seeking to influence policy. The first grouping, mostly concerned with evidence informed policy in the global North, focuses on cognitive and psychological factors impacting the way in which individual policymakers make decisions (see for example Baron, 2010 and Bales, 2015a).

Results

Conclusion