This document discusses several research studies and their relationship to policymaking in different areas such as education, health, and economics. It finds that research often has an indirect and gradual influence on policy and may help achieve objectives but cannot determine objectives which involve value judgments. Research in areas like education has had mixed impacts, with some studies clearly influencing policy and practice while others had no discernible impact. Research on health programs similarly found common problems across studies but also identified cultural differences that impacted outcomes. The document also describes how the Bank of England uses qualitative research through agencies to supplement quantitative data and models in making monetary policy decisions, with over 12,000 interviews conducted annually to provide a reality check and gauge economic mood.

1. Health, Wealth & Happiness Reflections on Research and the Greater Good Neil de Reybekill (UK) Sliema 14th January 2010

3. Education n. Preparation for a life of drudgery, boredom and exploitation as an adult. (Prince L; 2010; Miserable Git’s Guide to Modern English Usage; In Press) Nothing has retarded the … growth of knowledge m o re than the failure to deal with problems in a scientific manner. Education in particular suffers because its dominant mode for adjudicating disputes is political rather than scientific. ( Stanovitch 1988 p.210)

4. “ It is implied that research can tell you what your objectives ought to be. But it can’t. Our belief in comprehensive re-organisation was the product of fundamental value judgements about equity, equal opportunity and social division as well as about education. Research can help you achieve your objectives… But research cannot tell you whether you should go comprehensive or not…that’s a basic value judgement” (Crosland in Kogan; 1973; p.190) Crosland, Comprehensives and the Role of Research

6. Schools Group Major funders Very rigorous commissioning and appraisal procedures No discernable impact on policy Second Group Less substantial funders Very operationally focused Clear impact on policy and practice SBHA & RoSPA - procedures and advice changed HAT - major investment in process and infrastructure MoD - roll-out from 3 in 2002 to 23 in 2008

8. Health It is easy to think of the progress of science as a triumphal march. It is nothing of the sort. It is a stumbling shuffle from one intellectual expedient to another. (Greenaway; 1958; p.33)

10. Research, Policy, Ideology

12. Weiss (1980) emphasizes the slow, diffuse and indirect character of the relationship between research and policy. “…research is not in a linear way utilized in policy formation and administrative decision-making… Research is a creeping endeavour which serves an enlightenment function vis-à-vis decision makers. Secondly, decision-making is more like an accommodation or accretion process than a clearly identifiable decision here and now.” (cited in Husen & Kogan 1980; p.8)

13. “ Nothing has retarded the cumulative growth of knowledge… more than the failure to deal with problems in a scientific manner. Education in particular suffers because its dominant mode for adjudicating disputes is political rather than scientific.” Stanovitch 1988 p.210

14. NDC Evaluation Research 1. Common Factors: All Midlands based NDC programmes Delivery by existing (NHS) providers All ended, or very near end of project No mid-term project review carried-out Poor monitoring and recording culture 2. Wider Issues Identified: Cultural difference between NDC & NHS Cultural difference Clinical vs Public Health

15. Typical NDC Evaluation Framework 1. Performance against output & budget targets? 2. Impacts on desired NDC outcomes 3. Equalities impact: ‘closing the gap’ 4. Lessons: what worked, what didn’t and why 5. Forward planning: sustainable succession plan

16. Economics sing. n. Infernal theology of the god Mammon. “ Claimed by its followers to be the ‘only true social science’, it is in fact a rag bag of half worked out ideological presuppositions and fantasies with poor predictive validity, that assumes that everything of any importance in human life can be expressed in terms of money. This would be risibly sad were it not for the fact that economists sing the siren song most beloved of politicians, civil servants, managers and other misanthropes…” (Prince; 2010; In Press

17. Bank of England Agency Research • Since 1997, the Bank of England’s primary purpose has been the control of inflation. • Qualitative research through agencies influences monetary policy through the MPC. • Qualitative data is about how things are now • Quantitative research & mathematical modeling • Historical data but systems are designed to allow for extrapolation in forecasting and modeling • Laborious, Inductivist & Slow • Collects both quantitative and qualitative data Substantial qualitative data collection apparatus

19. • The value of these discussions would be to do a reality check for the Bank’s economic model: published figures for retail sales depicts sales numbers for the past three months. • We would ask about mood and footfall – these are not in the official statistics. • If we talk to a shopping centre manager and he tells us that the weather was good, people are up-beat and footfall is up, that gives us the mood music… the ‘carrier-bag index’. • “ The value of our work was to get people to tell us what they thought was actually happening and what people were actually doing.”

21. Neil de Reybekill [email_address] Life Research www.liferesearch.co.uk

22. • Issues: • Self re-enforcing data: how much is published data an indicator of past behaviour and to what extent does it determine future behaviour? • “ Your judgement is key…” • Fast-moving sectors – retail & housing – we would look at these much more regularly. • Leading and lagging indicators – what people look likely to be doing next month… • Trends of uniformity and businesses that differ – you have to check especially with outliers.