Communicating Research: How to Engage Policy-makers - By Nalaka Gunawardene

nalakagunawardene.com
Communicating Research on
Global Change:
How to engage policymakers?
By Nalaka Gunawardene
Science Writer, Columnist & Media
Consultant
APN South Asia Proposal Development Workshop
14-16 December 2016, Paro, Bhutan

Where I come from…
 Trained as science writer, worked in
print, broadcast & web media for 25+ yrs
 Been covering climate change stories
from 1988 at South Asian level
 Down to Earth, SciDev.Net, BBC +++
 Focusing on how to prepare for impacts:
adaptation, resilience, innovation…
 Member of expert team for Sri Lanka
National Climate Adaptation Strategy
2011-2016 (esp. its comm. strategy) 

APN Strategy
2015-2020
https://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/files/original/
4054071ede94d6a7dff033367a61dbed.pdf
“APN is committed to
strengthening
evidence-based
science-policy
linkages, informing
decision-making
and enhancing public
awareness.”

APN Science-Policy Dialogue
South Asia: Thimphu, Jan 2015

“My policy-maker doesn’t understand me!”
Do you sometimes feel like this?

Communicating to policy makers:
Some top level questions…
 Who really are our policy makers?
 How do they operate? Under what
motivations, pressures or fears?
 Does the average South Asian
policy maker THINK? Or CARE?
 How best to engage them?
 How to get heard – and heeded – by
them amidst so much info & views
in the media and social media?

Who really are policy makers?
Understand your key audience
 They can be diverse:
 Elected level: Ministers, Members of Parliament/MLAs
 Bureaucrat level: Permanent Secretaries of Ministries
 Technocrat level: Senior advisors, regulatory chiefs
 Central + state/provincial (esp. in federal systems)
 Common characteristics:
 Busy people, with limited attention spans
 Under pressure to solve problems, show results
 Not always open-minded or process-driven
 Typically short/medium term horizons (3-5 yrs)

Modern day dilemma:
Policy-making on the run?
 Multiple pressures coming from: social/green
activists, political opponents, media, etc.
 24/7 News Cycle (TV News + social media): No
time or chance for measured responses?
 Policy makers need to be SEEN AS DOING
SOMETHING, never mind efficacy
 Not always possible to be evidence based
 Populism & short-termism dominate
 Can lead to aggravation, stagnation, backsliding

Policy making in uncertain and
unpredictable conditions…
 South Asia: development
under duress
 Far from ideal conditions!
 Policy cycle not running
according to text book
 BOTH policy makers and
policy influencers have to
cope with uncertainties,
political upheavals, social
unrest, etc.

What keeps your policy makers
awake at night?
Extracted from presentation by Dr Amir Muhammed, Founder
Chairman, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC)

Typical South Asian policy makers:
Has much changed in last 40 yrs?
Cartoon by
R K Laxman,
Times of India

Who do policy makers listen to?
 Voters or key demographic groups among them
 Own political party members
 Election campaign funders/supporters
 Trade union leaders
 Vocal civil society groups (‘nuisance factor’)
 Corporate/industry lobby groups
 Public opinion shapers (e.g. religious leaders)
 Media? (sometimes)
 Researchers? (not often enough!)

How do policy makers get info,
ideas and policy guidance?
 Own knowledge/reading/reflection
 Technical advisors
 Media (TV, print, web, radio)
 Own peers they meet at inter-govt
meetings or bilateral talks
 Regional groups (SAARC, ASEAN, etc.)
 Development partners (World Bank,
UN, bilateral donor agencies)
 Learned/professional bodies (e.g.
science academies, think tanks)

So what is to be done?

How to engage policy makers?
A few useful tips…
 Keep things clear, short & simple!
 Avoid jargon & overuse of statistics
 Analyse problems but also offer solutions
 Relate to current/dev. concerns wherever possible:
 Creating disaster resilient communities
 Ensuring food security for all
 Clean energy for everyone
 Relate to global/regional agreements:
 SAARC level Declarations, political commitments
 Global commitments like SDGs, Paris Agreement

Today’s communications reality:
A multi-narrative world…
 Newspapers, radio, TV: still important
– but their influence slowly declining
 Many more channels & voices today:
 Citizens armed with smartphones accessing
online info sources, reacting & sharing
 Advocacy orgs doing direct engagement of
public (without going thru mass media)
 Social Media: Blogs, FB, Instagram, Twitter:
Loud, chaotic & contested public sphere!
 Use multiple pathways

Making Your Voice Heard:
Engaging Policy Makers (+Public)
 Direct outreach (Do-It-Yourself)
 Producing newsletters
 Writing to newspapers, speaking on radio/TV
 Publishing own websites (free public access)
 Social media: Own/group blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
 Collaborative outreach:
 Work with journalists, filmmakers, TV producers
 Sharing with mass media copyrights-free outreach
material (with adapting/remixing allowed)
 Allowing privileged access to trusted science journalists

Case study: SDN: Online platform
for researchers & policymakers
 Free access website
journalistically covering
science & technology for
global development
 News, views & analysis
 Focus on developing
countries & regions
 Backed by Nature,
Science & TWAS + aid
agencies & foundations
 www.scidev.net

Since 2001, SciDev.Net…
 Provided a trusted online space
for researchers, policy makers
and public to discuss issues
 Unafraid to take up contentious
topics (GMOs, nuclear energy)
 Going out in Arabic, English,
French and Spanish
 South Asia edition (closing by end
2016 due to lack of funds)
www.scidev.net/south-asia/

Examples from my SciDev.Net
monthly columns since 2014
Columns archived at:
http://www.scidev.net
/south-
asia/author.nalaka-
gunawardene.html
Discussing global
change issues as they
affect South Asian
countries: science and
policy nexus explored
in non-technical
language…

Linking short-term climate
pollutants to cooking stoves, etc.
/south-
asia/author.nalaka-
gunawardene.html

Linking clean energy, poverty and
climate mitigation options

Can South Asian cities be smarter?
Prospects for urban climate action
/south-
asia/author.nalaka-
gunawardene.html

Challenges of low lying nations
/south-
asia/author.nalaka-
gunawardene.html

Is nuclear energy a pathway to
sustainable energy in South Asia?
/south-
asia/author.nalaka-
gunawardene.html

Wanted:
More demand side studies
 Insights needed on policy makers’
info access behaviour and needs
 Helps identify different pathways to
influencing policy making process
 Value of appreciating policy makers’
own limitations & dilemmas faced
 Soft approaches vs. Hard
approaches: researchers & activists
need to know which works, when &
how

Findings of SciDev.Net survey
2012
 Survey done to understand how to
mainstream science evidence &
tech innovation for development
 Global survey by SciDev.Net, LSE &
partners: 3,000 responses + 600
interviews + focus groups in SEAsia
 Probing how ‘knowledge brokers’
operate in developing countries
 Insights from policy makers &
policy influencers on how they
seek, find & use evidence for policy
Full Report:
https://goo.gl/r4gbtN

Among key findings…
 70% policymakers use
scientific evidence for
‘personal knowledge
building’, & for ‘keeping up to
date with certain topics’, than
for any specific activities
 Key role of science advisors &
technical staff of policy
bodies (influencing
policymakers)
Full Report:

Among key findings…
Challenges of policy-makers:
 Lack of human or financial
resources to take action
 Lack of economic implications
of research findings
 Lack of sources that offer S&T
info in a readily usable manner
for public engagement
 Perception that ‘public lacks
interest in S&T’
Full Report:

Finally…don’t forget
The Bigger Picture!
 Research is only one voice
among several in the
knowledge ‘ecology’ relating
to policy & practice
 Policy makers in democracies
have to balance interests
 Search for answers &
solutions has become more
participatory & nuanced…
Key findings from:
AusAID, DFID & UK-CDS
global workshop in
London, Nov 2010 on
Improving the impact
of development
research through
better research
communications and
uptake
Full Report:
https://goo.gl/FNY7GU

The Bigger Picture…
 Researchers need to engage
policymakers on regular basis
 Need to improve the SUPPLY
of robust research…to guide
both govt policy & practice
 High value for NEUTRALITY of
evidence from researchers
(contrast with lobby groups &
single-issue activists)
Key findings from:
AusAID, DFID & UK-CDS
global workshop in
London, Nov 2010 on
Improving the impact
of development
research through
better research
communications and
uptake
Full Report:
https://goo.gl/FNY7GU

More policy relevant research:
Pure knowledge or applied?
 Tackle policy engagement potential
from research planning itself?
 How to find policy knowledge gaps?
 National Climate Strategies, Action Plans
 Govt strategies for agriculture, disaster
risk reduction, public health, etc.
 State of the economy policy speeches
 Try relating to larger national goals?
 Poverty reduction
 Disaster resilient communities

Blog:
SciDev.Net column:
www.scidev.net/south-asia/author.nalaka-
gunawardene.html
Twitter: @NalakaG
Email: nalakaji@gmail.com
Opinions all personal
Images have been used in good faith
Thanks. Never Give Up!

Communicating Research: How to Engage Policy-makers - By Nalaka Gunawardene

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