Enhancing Collaboration Between Civil Servants and Academics

Academics and civil servants need to navigate barriers like language, incentives, and different perceptions of evidence to collaborate effectively. Key responses include framing, clarity, and flexibility. They must combine skills in the science-policy interface and make informed choices on evidence, governance, and problem-solving.

• Collaboration
• Academics
• Civil servants
• Policy
• Evidence

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Uploaded on Oct 02, 2024 | 0 Views

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1. Maximising collaboration between civil servants and academics Paul Cairney, Professor of Politics and Public Policy p.a.cairney@stir.ac.uk @Cairneypaul https://paulcairney.wordpress.com/

2. 1. What do academics need to know? There are many claims to policy relevant knowledge Policymakers have to ignore most evidence There is no simple policy cycle Key responses: framing, timing, venue shopping

4. 2. What do civil servants need to know? Academics my not know how/ where to start The rewards for engagement in policymaking remain unclear (while the costs are clear) Engagement and knowledge of politics & policymaking - will vary by individual and discipline (beware heroic white male professor?) Key responses: incentives, clarity, flexibility, networks

5. 3. Produces the usual barriers/ differences: Language/ jargon Timescales Professional incentives (e.g. novelty v synthesis) Relative comfort with uncertainty Assessment of the role of scientific evidence Assessment of the role of values/ beliefs Key responses: talking, early engagement, clear incentives (and academic-practitioner workshops?)

6. What skills do they need to combine? These issues are well rehearsed in discussions of the science-policy interface E.g. this wheel by the Joint Research Centre, European Commission Other initiatives are reinventing the wheel?

7. What choices might they need to make? E.g. What is good evidence? What is good governance? What problem are we solving?

8. THANK YOU Paul Cairney, Professor of Politics and Public Policy p.a.cairney@stir.ac.uk @Cairneypaul https://paulcairney.wordpress.com/