Correlates of consulting research evidence among policy analysts in government ministries: a cross-sectional survey

Ouimet, Mathieu; Bédard, Pierre‐Olivier; Turgeon, Jean; Lavis, John N.; Gélineau, François; Gagnon, François; Dallaire, Clémence

doi:10.1332/174426410x535846

Cited by 39 publications

(51 citation statements)

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“…First, given the professional tasks of these individuals, they can be considered as potential entry points for research evidence and possible channels of communication (Cohn, 2007;Howlett, 2009a;Nutley, Walter, & Davies, 2007;Ouimet et al, 2010;Sundell, Wärngård, & Head, 2013). To a certain extent, these professionals can be considered to act as informal knowledge brokers in that they absorb, interpret, and communicate external knowledge (Howlett, 2011).…”

Section: Knowledge Mobilization Theories and Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mobilization of Scientific Evidence by Public Policy Analysts

Bédard

2015

Sage Open

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Research on knowledge mobilization in policy making has been largely focused on identifying relevant factors having an effect on the uptake of evidence by actors and organizations. However, evidence on the magnitude of those effects remains limited and existing methods allowing for this have been scarcely used in this field. In this article, we first provide a rationale for greater investigation of substantive effect sizes, using methods such as mediation analysis and conditional probabilities. Using cross-sectional data from Québec (Canada) government policy analysts, we test an absorptive capacity model and describe direct, specific indirect, and total effects estimated from a path analysis. The results show that some factors have considerable effects, such as physical access and individual field of training, whereas some mediated relations are worth considering. Finally, we discuss some practical implications with regard to policy making and policy analysis but also the methodological standards of empirical research in this field.

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Section: Knowledge Mobilization Theories and Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mobilization of Scientific Evidence by Public Policy Analysts

Bédard

2015

Sage Open

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“…Currently, as noted previously in this thesis, there is no universally accepted or widely adopted model for measuring the utilisation of research (Lester, 1993;Oh & Rich, 1996;Ouimet et al, 2010;Smith et al, 2011). The literature on the utilisation of academic research has, however, consistently suggested three broad types of use: instrumental, conceptual, and symbolic.…”

Section: Dependent Variable For Regression Modelsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…(Lester, 1993;Oh & Rich, 1996;Ouimet et al, 2010;Smith et al, 2011) As highlighted in chapter one, there are many ways that research utilisation can be understood. While there have been some efforts to develop a standardised tool for measuring research utilisation -most notably Knott and Wildavsky's (1980) scale, which incorporates instrumental, conceptual and symbolic uses of researchsuch tools have not been widely employed to date.…”

Section: The Evidence-base For Linkagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A small number of these studies involved similar survey instruments to the ones drawn upon for this research project, and demonstrated this association via the application of regression analysis models to the data (Landry et al, 2001a(Landry et al, & 2001bCherney and McGee, 2011). However, to date most research findings suggesting an association between linkages and research use have done so only on the basis of respondent reports of a connection between research relationships and research use (Ouimet, 2010). Multiple linear regression models were thus designed and applied to the survey data for this project, in order to explore more explicitly the nature of any association between participation in a range of linkage activities and reported research uptake.…”

Section: Linkages Are a Predictor Of Research Impact -Multiple Linearmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Connecting research and policy: how linkages support the use of research evidence in social policymaking

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The notion that policymaking should be informed by evidence has been an attractive one to both government decision-makers and the community alike in recent years (Banks, 2009;Cherney & Head 2010;Nutley et al, 2007). The pursuit of "more" and/or "better" relationships has consistently been championed as an important strategy to improve the use of a research evidence base for social policy and practice (Nutley et al, 2007;Lavis, 2010;Bogenschneider & Corbett, 2010;Ross, 2011;Shergold, 2011). These relationships are often referred to as "linkages" in the literature, and it is recognised they can be diverse in form (Nutley et al, 2007;Weiss, 1995).A strong association between linkages and research utilisation has been found by a number of empirical studies reported in the literature (for example, Landry et al, 2001aLandry et al, , 2001bLandry et al, 2003;Cherney & McGee, 2011). Many more studies identify linkages as a facilitator for research use or report that a lack of linkages is a key barrier to research uptake (Innvaer et al, 2002;Helmsley-Brown, 2004;Mitton et al, 2007;Oliver et al, 2014). However, very little work has been undertaken to systematically identify how linkages between university academics and social policy-makers shape key processes associated with evidence-based policy-making.This PhD research project used a mixed methods approach, drawing on data gathered via large-scale survey and interview processes with Australian social scientist academics and public servant policymakers, to investigate:• the types of linkages are predominant between academics and policymakers;• the key barriers to and facilitators for developing and sustaining linkages;• how linkages relate to a capacity for research utilisation in policy making contexts; and• how linkages can be enhanced to support the policy uptake of social research evidence.A wide range of linkage arrangements were identified from the data sources. The character and scope of participation in linkage relationships was shaped by a range of interacting, context-dependent factors, including the political environment, dominant paradigms about the role of government in shaping policy and program provision within a sector, differences [ii] in infrastructure and resourcing between policy sectors and departments, and the culture, norms and values within policymaking organisations.The findings of multiple linear regression models applied to academic and policy official survey data revealed a strong association between participation in linkage activities and research utilisation.Linkages were found to build academic and policy official capacities separately, by enhancing individual and organisational knowledge, skills and approaches for research production and use. However, linkages were also found to underpin the development of important new joint capacities, such as the capacity to efficiently and effectively co-produce research. Importantly, both policy officials and academics highlighted the value of linkages for creating the mutual trust, respect ...

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“…This is one measure of research utilisation that has been used by others (Cherney et al, 2015) and is an alternative to the Research Utilisation (RU) scale used by Landry (Landry, Amara, & Lamari, 2001a) and the three types of research use -instrumental, political and conceptual -identified by Weiss (1977). The benefit of using this measure over other measures is that it is important to be as factual as possible when asking policy officials their level of engagement with research outputs, and to use a timeframe that is not too long to better enable recall of certain activities (Ouimet et al, 2010).…”

Section: Constraints Associated With Academiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge Brokering: Bridging the gap between academia and policy making in Australia?

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Knowledge brokering is showing significant potential as a means of increasing the use of research in policy making. Using research to inform policy making is critical to achieving policies that are 'evidence-based' and result in policy outcomes that have greater potential to address the 'wicked' social problems that governments are facing. Research provides governments with the knowledge to make sense of policy problems, develop policy solutions and evaluate their effectiveness. Despite extensive attention given to better understanding the barriers and facilitators to research utilisation, the use of research to inform policy decisions remains elusive.Advocates of a close relationship between the 'two communities' of policy makers and researchers believe this relationship is the key to effective policy formulation based on sound research.Knowledge brokering is emerging as a promising means of linking, and facilitating exchange, to form effective relationships between the 'two communities' of academics and policy makers, building on interactive models of the policy making process. More specifically, knowledge brokering is the human component of knowledge mobilisation, using relationships to move knowledge between policy makers and academics. In doing so, knowledge brokering works to overcome the barriers that hinder research utilisation.While there has been an increased interest in the past decade in understanding and defining the activities of knowledge brokering, the role and effectiveness of knowledge brokering in moving research into the policy making process is unclear. Furthermore, much of the focus in the literature to date is on knowledge brokering activities carried out by individuals, but the dependence of these knowledge brokering activities on the organisational context in which these individuals operate has largely been ignored in the literature. Hence, the study of knowledge brokering organisations may be very important in understanding how knowledge can be effectively transferred between knowledge producers and users.To address the research problem, two separate yet related research components were undertaken, and these research components are described across three core sections of this thesis. Part A of the thesis provides the essential conceptualisation and operationalisation of the research questions based on current debates within the extant literature on knowledge mobilisation and knowledge brokering. Part B of the thesis analyses surveys and in-depth interviews with policy officials and social scientists to make conclusions on the perceived need for, and existence of, knowledge brokering roles and activities in the movement of knowledge into the policy making process in ii Australia. A typology of organisations that operate in a knowledge brokering capacity in Australia has been developed. Part C adopts a multiple-case study design to investigate one type of entity operating in a knowledge brokering role within key public policy areas in Australia -researchfocused intermediary organi...

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Correlates of consulting research evidence among policy analysts in government ministries: a cross-sectional survey

Cited by 39 publications

References 0 publications

The Mobilization of Scientific Evidence by Public Policy Analysts

The Mobilization of Scientific Evidence by Public Policy Analysts

Connecting research and policy: how linkages support the use of research evidence in social policymaking

Knowledge Brokering: Bridging the gap between academia and policy making in Australia?

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