Research

Question 1

Models of research policy links

Answer 1

• The 2 Worlds approach
• Researchers and policy makers • Realities of policy decisions
• Multiple decision criteria
• Hierarchies of evidence?
• Politics of evidence itself • Creation of knowledge
• Selection of knowledge
• Interpretation of knowledge
• Sensationalism and public interest

Question 2

Enlightenment

Answer 2

Research and policy making take place alongside other social processes.
Research provides new insights, new questions, and new ways of conceptualising the world. Research knowledge provides the backdrop which feeds into policy. Effect of research is cumulative and complex, not immediate or linear (Walt, 1994 Chap 9).

Question 3

Strategic

Answer 3

Research as ‘ammunition’ to support predetermined positions, or to delay decisions. (Weiss in Trostle et al. 1999)

Question 4

Evidence Based Medicine

Answer 4

Widely popular notion of Evidence Based Medicine, whereby results of studies (in particular RCTs) shape clinical practice (e.g. Cochrane collaboration, Obstetric care guidelines, etc.)
Increasing interest in Evidence Based Policy as a correlate – that policy and policy makers should act based on the logical findings of research and bodies of evidence.

Question 5

2 Worlds Approach

Answer 5

• Commonapproachtounderstandresearchandpolicy
• Based on a rational (or enlightenment) view of
evidence and policy
• Assumes there is a ‘know-do gap’ that can be overcome
• Typicalstrategies:
– Research Push – make research more available or understandable
– Policy Pull – increase demand for research – ‘Bridging the gap’ – build links between researchers and policy makers

Question 6

Selection of evidence

Answer 6

Wide body of evidence exists.
Policy makers may select evidence:
• Consciously - in line with their larger philosophies and goals
• Unconsciously - certain arguments will ‘make sense’ to them, given their
existing beliefs and mental frames
Different policy makers will therefore use different research evidence
“In a surprising number of ways, the generation and utilization of policy- relevant scientific information are themselves functions of different national processes and circumstances. In the end, science is seen to be less a force of policy convergence than a showcase of the particular political needs and dynamics of each country”

Question 7

Thabo Mbeki on HIV/AIDS

Answer 7

Controversy over Mbeki’s challenge to the HIV virus – AIDS link:
“A virus cannot cause a syndrome. A virus can cause a disease, and AIDS is not a disease, it is a syndrome”
-BBC News Quote 20/9/2000 Engagement and embracing view of ‘AIDS dissidents’
Larger approach of Mbeki – to challenge Western orthodoxy and dominance – context of South African position as an independent leader in Africa.

Question 8

Cognitive Processes

Answer 8

Cognitive psychological insights show how the mechanisms by which we understand information is through processes of association and interpretation;
• Particular arguments or uses of evidence make ‘sense’ or are ‘convincing’ due to our previous experiences, alignment with expectations, or things we feel an affinity towards.

Question 9

Bridging the gap vs building structures

Answer 9

• ‘Bridgingthegap’strategieshavebeencommon: – Producing systematic reviews and policy briefs
– Training decision makers on how to use information
– Linking research producers with users
• Yettheseeffortsdonotdirectlyaddressthepolitical nature of the problems of evidence use
• Asecondstrategyistobuildtheinstitutionalrulesand structures which can mediate the political nature of evidence usage.

Question 10

Evidence based policy

Answer 10

– Often assumes rational model as reality
– Assumes a single body of evidence which ‘speaks for
itself in policy terms;
• Vs‘EvidenceInformedDecisionMaking’
– Implied in a ‘2 worlds approach’ seeing researchers and policy makers as having different interests, agendas, needs;
– Technical solutions proposed to ‘bridge’ the 2 worlds, or close the ‘know-do gap’:
• Linkstopolicymakers,disseminationoffindings,institutions to serve as knowledge brokers

Question 11

2 worlds model depoliticizes the analysis

Answer 11

– Not all relevant policy considerations conducive to RCT evidence;
– Some (important) health problems more complex than others – more scope for disagreement on evidence;
– Some administrations more open to critical debate than others;
– Ideologies can shape understanding, use or value of evidence (cognitive science helps understand this);
– Policy making is often about choice and values – not a pure evidence assessment.