Policy

A stack of books.

Designing Research For Impact

Recent experiences have not been very positive. The vast majority of proposals seem to conflate impact with research dissemination (a heroic leap of faith – changing the world one seminar at a time), or to outsource impact to partners such as NGOs and thinktanks.

3 months ago
835
Empty government chamber with seats concentrically placed in semicircle and impressive desk at center

Seeking Policy Impact? Cite Your Evidence

When communicating with a policymaker, especially one with whom you disagree, you want to stop them from discounting your opinion. One way to do this is by citing quality evidence to support your position.

4 months ago
693
Photo of an old-fashioned brass balance scale with selection of weights in front of it

As We Evolve Science Policy We Must Vigilantly Assess Its Changes

Considering a series of proposed policy changes by the National Institutes of Health, Micah Altman and Philip N. Cohen, argue they highlight wider systematic gaps in the evaluation of operational science policies and signal an urgent need to increase funding for metascience.

4 months ago
655
EviAtlas example

Technology Can Collect and Analyze Evidence for Policy

Creators and participants in the Evidence Synthesis Hackathon ask what’s the solution to coping with the increasing volume of evidence needed to build effective, solid policy? They argue that technology is the key. With accessible software tools and workflows, machines can be left to do the laborious work so that people can focus on planning, thinking and doing.

4 years ago
1295
Code Napoleon_mauzaisse-

Negotiating Brexit – A Clash of Legal Cultures?

Membership in the European Union was a contract, and the differing legal approaches between situational British common law and the more codified French approach helps explain some of the rancor as Brexit comes to be applied.

7 years ago
1404

Sociology’s (Selective) Diversity

Our Robert Dingwall reflects on Tinder’s in-house sociologist and on the just-announced New Year’s Honours list to question just how diverse are current understandings of diversity.

7 years ago
2702
Pied Piper

Six Reasons Why Academics Won’t Change Policy

As social scientists are pressured to be part of the policy-making process, that’s easier said than done, explains James Lloyd. He gives six reasons why sometimes research won’t (and perhaps shouldn’t) impact change.

8 years ago
1296
Zika virus poster from CDC

Zika – What Are the Real Lessons from Ebola?

Another disease in the tropics has the World Health Organisation in a lather, and again biomedicine’s response will not be all that useful in the short term. Social science can help now to address the underlying problems that help the Zika virus to spread — if policymakers will listen.

8 years ago
1679