Understanding the Policy Process: From Evidence to Influence

Overview

Understanding how policy is made is essential for anyone seeking to influence decision-making. Drawing on research from the policy sciences, alongside Professor Claire Dunlop and Dr Nick Kirsop-Taylor’s experience of working in the civil service, this practical course explores how policy works in practice across different levels of government in the UK.

Participants bring the issues they are trying to influence – from communicating research to policymakers to building support for a particular policy position – and work with the course team to explore what policy research and practical experience of policymaking can teach us about overcoming these challenges.

The course moves beyond the idea of a straightforward ‘evidence-based policy’ process to explore the realities of policymaking: competing interests, institutional contexts, political priorities, narratives and the ways problems are framed. Participants will learn how to communicate research and evidence in ways that engage policymakers, build compelling narratives and help their issues cut through in complex policy environments.

Who is this for?

Typical participants may include:

• Charities, NGOs and third-sector organisations seeking to influence policy and build messages that cut through
• Policy professionals and practitioners seeking to strengthen their understanding of how policy is developed and influenced
• Academics and researchers looking to translate research into policy impact
• Private sector organisations trying to better understand and influence across the policy process

What will I learn?

You will:

• Understand how policy processes operate across different levels of government in the UK
• Explore what policy research tells us about how decisions are actually made and influenced
• Understand the role of narratives, storytelling and framing in shaping how policymakers understand problems
• Learn how to translate research and evidence into compelling messages for policy audiences
• Explore the limits and practical challenges of evidence-based policymaking
• Develop practical approaches for communicating research and building influence in real-world policy environments

Course leads