Evidence for Policy 
A new ARC-funded project will illuminate how ‘evidence-based’ policy is being undertaken in Australia at state and federal levels. The Prime Minister has made direct reference to the need for government policy to be evidence-based. One of the core aims is to ensure the best available evidence from research is at the heart of policy-making. This has generated closer links between academic social scientists and public sector agencies, with governments looking to social research to assist policy development and implementation.
However, the impact of social science research on policy decision-making remains poorly understood in Australia. There is a significant gap in knowledge about how products of social research actually influence policy decision-making, and how this can be improved.
The academic literature on research impact indicates that the up-take of social research varies across specific policy contexts, and is linked to a number of factors such as research communication, reliable methodologies, and ongoing collaborations between researchers/policy-makers.
The influence of social research also depends on whether it is intended to provide immediate tactical support for policy-makers or whether it is intended to influence broader understandings of social processes and policy interventions.
The aim of this project is to examine how social science research influences the human services policy areas of government, and how the relationships between research and policy can be improved.
Social research is produced by many different types of organisations, including the public service, consultancy firms, and universities . Some academic research is addressed mainly to scholarly audiences rather than policy-makers and service providers. Social issues requiring cross-agency and whole-of-government responses may benefit from independent research on these complex topics. The project will address these concerns about mutual benefit and focus on priority issues.
The project will address the following three key questions:
- In what ways is social science research currently used within policy contexts?
- What conditions and circumstances support and hinder the use of social science research?
- Are there models of best-practice for enhancing the policy utilisation of social research knowledge?
The research team, led by Professor Brian Head, Professor Paul Boreham and Dr Adrian Cherney, is supported by several state and federal government funding partners. The team will undertake surveys and interviews in more than 20 agencies. Parallel research will also be undertaken on the expectations and achievements of a large number of academic social scientists who have provided high quality resear ch on important policy and program issues. The project has attracted more than $680,000 over three years.
