The privileged role of researchers in “evidence-based” policy: implications and engagement of other voices

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Ritter
Keyword(s):  
Drug Policy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Research Translation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Evidence Based Policy ◽  
Ordinary Citizens

Purpose – This paper starts from the familiar premise of evidence-based policy, and examines the active role that researchers play in policy development processes. The interactive nature of much research translation immediately suggests the need to consider the dynamic way in which problems come to be understood, which is explored in this paper. Furthermore, the integration of research knowledge with the knowledges of “ordinary” citizens is a key challenge. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This paper represents a synthesis of recent studies conducted by the author and her colleagues along with other drug policy literature. Findings – The interactive and dialogic processes that researchers engage with, whether as knowledge brokers or participants in elite policy development forums, have implications for how policy problems (and solutions) come to be constituted. Four perspectives and theoretical approaches are briefly outlined: research design; policy processes; problematization; and critical social sciences analyses. These offer different ways of seeing, understanding and analyzing the relationship between problems, policy solutions and the policy processes. Yet all have lessons for the ways in which research evidence and researchers constitute policy. This needs to sit alongside the role of other drug policy stakeholders – notably the “ordinary” citizen. It is argued that the elite role of research can be tempered with engagement of ordinary citizens. While it can be challenging to reconcile general public views about drugs with the evidence-base, deliberative democracy approaches may hold some promise. Originality/value – This paper draws together a number of central themes for drug policy processes research: where the evidence-based policy paradigm intersects with participatory democracy; how problems are constituted; and the privileged role of research and researchers.

Opportunistic evidence: evidence-based policy in the setting of the Australian Government's chlamydia screening pilot

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Simon R. Crouch
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Chlamydia Screening ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Policy Decisions ◽  
Evidence Based Policy

Objective. Chlamydia prevention and control form a significant part of the Australian Government’s sexual health policy. This paper examines the evidence for policy development and in particular the role of systematic reviews in evidence-based policy. Methods. The author undertook a review of the literature on evidence-based policy. The major theories for evidence-based policy were then linked to the Australian Government’s main chlamydia policy. Results. A systematic review on chlamydia screening has been influential in policy development, but like all systematic reviews its validity must be assessed. It has been suggested that methodological appropriateness and the question being asked are perhaps more important than study design per se. Partnerships between researchers and policymakers are important but it should be noted that experts have their own particular biases. Policymaking can also be determined by political ideologies. Conclusions and implications. The publication of a systematic review has provided a good summative evaluation of chlamydia screening that has been built upon through partnerships with researchers. The resulting chlamydia screening pilot will provide further evidence for future policy; however, a variety of sources are required to develop robust policy directions. What is known about the topic? Systematic reviews are often considered to be the best evidence on which to base policy decisions. In practice it is not always the case that best evidence is used to form policy. As well as systematic reviews, which are not always infallible, there are many other factors that affect the development of national health policy. What does the paper add? This paper provides a consideration of the role of systematic reviews in policy-making, as well as some of the pitfalls to this approach. As an example, it provides the Australian Government’s policy on chlamydia control and looks at other factors that may have contributed to the development of this policy. What are the implications for practitioners? All practitioners involved in policy decisions should consider the evidence-base from which their policies are derived. They should understand the sound basis of the systematic review while accepting that other pressures may affect the processes leading up to the formation of good health policy.

Portfolio investment outflow and the complementary role of direct investment

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Noman ◽  
Mohammad Nakibur Rahman ◽  
Atsuyuki Naka
Keyword(s):  
Direct Investment ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Portfolio Investment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Foreign Portfolio Investment ◽  
Complementary Role

Purpose – This paper aims to uncover potential contemporaneous relationship between foreign portfolio investment (FPI) and another popular type of cross-border investment outflow, namely, foreign direct investment (FDI). Design/methodology/approach – The relationship between FPI and FDI are modeled using simultaneous equations approach to take potential endogeneity in to account. In a panel of 45 countries over the period of 2001-2009, FPI and FDI are found to be strategically complimentary to each other. Findings – The two-stage least square estimates suggest existence of both statistically and economically significant relationship between these two types of outflows. In particular, the FDI outflow has empirically significant predictive power in explaining the FPI outflow. Similarly, the FPI outflow also has significant explanatory power for the observed level of FDI outflow. Second, the FPI has greater explanatory power for FDI outflow than the FDI for the FPI outflow. Originality/value – The authors believe that the paper would contribute to the relevant literature in terms of its originality and scope. The empirical findings of the paper have valuable policy implications.

scholarly journals El uso de la información en los procesos de políticas: Tensiones epistemológicas y del contexto decisional en la Política Nacional de Evaluación de la Educación en México

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Valladares
Keyword(s):  
National Policy ◽  
Educational Evaluation ◽  
Educational Policies ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Policy Cycle ◽  
Evidence Based Policy

One of the objectives of the National Policy for Educational Evaluation in Mexico (PNEE) is to support the design of educational policies based on the information provided by the evaluation results. This paper argues that the use of information in policy processes is undergoing a strong debate about the role of knowledge in public decisions. This debate is addressed through the description of five tensions that are presented in the epistemological and decisional dimensions associated with the policy cycle. It is proposed that the analysis and reflection around these tensions can enrich the understanding of the evidence-based policy approach and contribute, with new theoretical elements, to the design of the actions and measures proposed by 

scholarly journals Evaluation, Science and Pragmatism

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Huntington
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Political Party ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Doctoral Research ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Evidence Based Policy ◽  
Research Uptake ◽  
Policy Work ◽  
Good Policy

In Aotearoa New Zealand, as elsewhere, the evidence-based policy movement has been one of the most visible recent influences on how policies are described, discussed and debated. It is now commonly taken for granted that good policy work involves using evidence, and that it is important to increase the influence of data and research uptake during policy development. Promoting evidence-based policy has even been used as the raison d’être for the founding of a political party. However, the voices and perspectives of practitioners themselves are often missing from conversations about evidence’s role in policy work. Drawing on my doctoral research, this article presents three stances that frame how policy workers approach evidence in their practice.

Business social networks and academics' entrepreneurial intentions

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Fernández-Pérez ◽  
Patricia Esther Alonso-Galicia ◽  
María del Mar Fuentes-Fuentes ◽  
Lazaro Rodriguez-Ariza
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Financial Networks ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – This study analyses the role of social networks and their effects on academics' entrepreneurial intentions (AEI), from an academic cognitive perspective. Specifically, the paper investigates how business (distinguishing between industrial and financial links) and personal social networks, through opportunity-relevant information and support, could influence academics' intentions to start a business venture on the basis of their research knowledge. The paper examines the mediator roles of entrepreneurial attitudes (EA) and self-efficacy on opportunity recognition (SOR) as important psychological variables for academics. In the same context, the paper examines the mediator role of gender. Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling analysis, on a sample population of 500 Spanish academics engaged in commercially oriented fields of research. Findings – The results obtained highlight the positive roles played by business (industrial and financial) networks, both directly in promoting AEI, and indirectly via EA and SOR. The paper finds that male and female academics differ in their perceptions of support from business and financial networks and in their use of these resources in business start-up. Practical implications – An understanding of these issues offers opportunities to shape government interventions to assist academic entrepreneurs embarking on a business venture, or those already active in this respect, increasing their effectiveness in building, utilizing and enhancing the quality of networking activities. Originality/value – The paper explores business networking for academics as a factor promoting entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the paper considers an under-researched area that of female entrepreneurship in what is traditionally considered a male-dominated activity.

An evidence-based review of decompressive surgery in acute spinal cord injury: rationale, indications, and timing based on experimental and clinical studies

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Fehlings ◽  
Charles H. Tator
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Class Ii ◽  
Decompressive Surgery ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Class Iii ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Limited Class ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The authors conducted an evidence-based review of the literature to evaluate critically the rationale and indications for and the timing of decompressive surgery for the treatment of acute, nonpenetrating spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods. The experimental and clinical literature concerning the role of, and the biological rationale for, surgical decompression for acute SCI was reviewed. Clinical studies of nonoperative management of SCI were also examined for comparative purposes. Evidence from clinical trials was categorized as Class I (well-conducted randomized prospective trials), Class II (well-designed comparative clinical studies), or Class III (retrospective studies). Examination of studies in which animal models of SCI were used consistently demonstrated a beneficial effect of early decompressive surgery, although it is difficult to apply these data directly to the clinical setting. The clinical studies provided suggestive (Class III and limited Class II) evidence that decompressive procedures improve neurological recovery after SCI. However, no clear consensus can be inferred from the literature as to the optimum timing for decompressive surgery. Many authors have advocated delayed treatment to avoid medical complications, although good evidence from recent Class II trials indicates that early decompressive surgery can be performed safely without causing added morbidity or mortality. Conclusions. There is biological evidence from experimental studies in animals that early decompressive surgery may improve neurological recovery after SCI, although the relevant interventional timing in humans remains unclear. To date, the role of surgical decompression in patients with SCI is only supported by Class III and limited Class II evidence. Accordingly, decompressive surgery for SCI can only be considered a practice option. Furthermore, analysis of the literature does not allow definite conclusions to be drawn regarding appropriate timing of intervention. Hence, there is a need to conduct well-designed experimental and clinical studies of the timing and neurological results of decompressive surgery for the treatment of acute SCI.

A structural relationship model of gender-role orientation and entrepreneurial intention: examining the mediating effect of motivational antecedents in Northeast India

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiefe Heibormi Passah ◽  
Nagari Mohan Panda
Keyword(s):  
Gender Role ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
Northeast India ◽  
Structural Relationship ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Developing Region ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe paper presents a structural model to explain the relationship between various gender-role orientations (GROs) and motivational antecedents leading to entrepreneurial intention (EI). It examines the influence of GRO in the formation of EI among educated youths of Northeast India.Design/methodology/approachUsing a structural equation modelling approach, the hypothesized model is tested on a sample of 642 post-graduate students from four different universities in Northeast India, a developing region with unique socio-cultural diversity. The mediating role of EI antecedents on the relationship between GRO and EI was examined after establishing the reliability and validity of the measurement model.FindingsResults from the analysis support the hypothesized structural relationship confirming the influence of GRO on EI. The study also finds that androgynous individuals have a higher EI than their masculine or feminine counterparts.Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes to the understanding of EI determinants from a GRO perspective, especially in the industrially backward region of an emerging economy. It adds to the existing literature by empirically proving the role of gender orientation. The results have several policy implications for educational institutions and policymakers in emerging economies.Originality/valueThe paper re-examines the predictive value of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model from a GRO perspective and compares indirect effects of gender identity through motivational antecedents on EI. Whilst TPB predicted EI in Western and developed countries, using a more diverse sample provides strong empirical evidence in the context of a developing region.

Can Citizen Science Seriously Contribute to Policy Development?

2020 ◽  
pp. 1726-1741
Author(s):  
Colin Chapman ◽  
Crona Hodges
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Evidence Based Policy ◽  
Data Gaps

This chapter considers the potential for citizen science to contribute to policy development. A background to evidence-based policy making is given, and the requirement for data to be robust, reliable and, increasingly, cost-effective is noted. The potential for the use of ‘co-design' strategies with stakeholders, to add value to their engagement as well as provide more meaningful data that can contribute to policy development, is presented and discussed. Barriers to uptake can be institutional and the quality of data used in evidence-based policy making will always need to be fully assured. Data must be appropriate to the decision making process at hand and there is potential for citizen science to fill important, existing data-gaps.

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