Bridging the research–policy divide

Pathways to engagement and skill development

Bibliographic Data

ID9051442
AuthorsTaylor Scott (0000-0003-1827-4723, Bennett Aerospace (United States)), Jacqueline C Larson, Jacqueline Larson, Sara L Buckingham (0000-0001-5809-0764), Kenneth I Maton, D Max Crowley (0000-0001-8956-3456, Health and Human Development (2HD) Research Network)
Year2019
Volume89
Issue4
Pages434-441
Publication date2019-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Orthopsychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9432 • E-ISSN: 1939-0025
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/ort0000389
PMID31305112
OpenAlexW2959588723
LanguageEN
Citations received15

Researchers generally engage in few interactions with policymakers, which limits the extent to which empirical evidence is used to guide public policy and, consequently, the potential effectiveness of public policies in improving societal wellbeing. Although many researchers wish to see their work used for social impact, several factors contribute to researchers' limited policy engagement, including a lack of opportunities for developing policy competencies (i.e., knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy that support effective policy engagement) and limited support or incentives from research, training, and philanthropic institutions. Moreover, despite work that shows that researchers are more likely to engage in policy when they report greater policy competencies, little descriptive or evaluative research has explored the effectiveness of policy training. The current work seeks to expand the limited empirical base by drawing connections between training approaches and conditions that support policymakers' use of research evidence. Policy training approaches that combine direct instruction (i.e., information-based, often didactic teaching via classes) and experiential learning (i.e., skills and knowledge obtained through active engagement, hands-on application) appear most promising. Various pathways for policy training are described, and one specific policy training and engagement strategy is further described alongside evaluation data regarding benefits associated with direct instruction and experiential learning approaches. We conclude with recommendations to strengthen researchers' policy competency development and engagement. These recommendations range from increasing access to training opportunities to adjusting institutional incentive systems that currently hinder researchers' policy engagement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Community engagement · Economics · Empirical evidence · Experiential learning · Incentive · MEDLINE · Pedagogy · Political science · PsycINFO · Public engagement · Public policy · Public relations · Evaluation and Performance Assessment · Health Policy Implementation Science · Psychology

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