Masterclass: Navigating politics and ethics of research-policy engagement

Improving the use of research evidence and expertise in public policy is widely and increasingly regarded as imperative to improving policy outcomes. Implicit within many efforts to enable this form of policy influence is a ‘technical’ framing that provides legitimacy to notions that researchers can assume political- and value-neutrality.

However, many researchers and practitioners have highlighted not only the unattainability of neutrality, but also the undesirability of it – emphasising both its ineffectiveness and harms (such as its complicity in (re)producing societal inequalities). Instead, they suggest what can be considered a ‘relational’ framing as a way forward, placing attention on the inseparability of facts and values, particularly through how policy problems, knowledge production, knowledge mobilisation and evidence-use are framed.

In this masterclass, we will draw on these insights to surface examples of the ways in which facts and values are inherently entwined through the necessary act of framing, and explore practical ways to navigate the dilemmas this presents.

Suggested readings:

What’s the Problem Represented to Be? Problem Definition Critique as a Tool for Evaluative Thinking

How far should you go to secure academic ‘impact’ in policymaking? From ‘honest brokers’ to ‘research purists’ and Machiavellian manipulators

Host or Publisher Universities Policy Engagement Network