Assignments 

Which of the statements below are true?

Please answer the statements below. For each statement, the correct answer is described and justified.

No. The demand for research has already existed for a long time and this demand has increased in recent decades.

No. The demand for research has already existed for a long time and this demand has increased in recent decades

It can be. How policy-makers absorb and utilise the information transmitted via science communication depends on many factors. Some of these have more to do with the research knowledge itself, such as how clearly the arguments and their significance to policy-making are expressed and what kind of visibility the knowledge receives. Other factors have more to do with policy-making, including how well the knowledge suits the current political climate or ongoing policy-making process. As with other means of interaction, the impact that science communication has is also difficult to predict.

It can be. How policy-makers absorb and utilise the information transmitted via science communication depends on many factors. Some of these have more to do with the research knowledge itself, such as how clearly the arguments and their significance to policy-making are expressed and what kind of visibility the knowledge receives. Other factors have more to do with policy-making, including how well the knowledge suits the current political climate or ongoing policy-making process. As with other means of interaction, the impact that science communication has is also difficult to predict.

No. There are many situations where researchers operate in multidisciplinary groups or where researchers from different fields are heard. In such situations it is useful to be able to cooperate with researchers from other disciplines, have constructive dialogue with colleagues and be open to new perspectives. However, one does not have to have mastered these skills, but they will come in handy and they can be improved with experience.

No. There are many situations where researchers operate in multidisciplinary groups or where researchers from different fields are heard. In such situations it is useful to be able to cooperate with researchers from other disciplines, have constructive dialogue with colleagues and be open to new perspectives. However, one does not have to have mastered these skills, but they will come in handy and they can be improved with experience.

Yes.Many organisations and organisational functions help to increase the impact of research. Universities provide services for the popularisation of research knowledge and facilities for events such as seminars. They also maintain websites that allow you to gain publicity for your research. For their part, knowledge brokers offer opportunities to have close discussions with policy-makers and facilitate impactfulness by compiling and synthesising research knowledge on topic relevant for policy-makers.

Yes. Many organisations and organisational functions help to increase the impact of research. Universities provide services for the popularisation of research knowledge and facilities for events such as seminars. They also maintain websites that allow you to gain publicity for your research. For their part, knowledge brokers offer opportunities to have close discussions with policy-makers and facilitate impactfulness by compiling and synthesising research knowledge on topic relevant for policy-makers.

Write a short reflection

Utilise your own observations and views.

  • Write: a short descriptive text about how researchers in your own research environment support policy-making in institutions such as the parliament, ministries or municipalities. What is the interaction like and how is it viewed? How does your branch of science impact the transmission of knowledge to policy-makers? 

Read article and write a short text

Complement the understanding you have gained from course contents by reading the article. 

  • Read: Gluckman, P. (2016). The science-policy interface. Science, 353(6303). https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.aai8837. This short article describes the basic dynamics of research-policy interaction. The writer Peter Gluckman has published widely on the topic and also has extensive experience of the practical work in the field. Gluckman has for instance acted as the chief science adviser of Prime Minister of New Zeland. The article is a comment and at the end Gluckman introduces INGSA (International Network for Governmental Science Advice). INGSA is one of many organisation working to support research-policy interactions, but you don’t have to pay mind to this point any further. 
  • Write: use the contents of the lecture and Gluckman’s article to write a brief description of your thoughts on the interaction of research and policy. Helpful questions: why is research used to inform policy-making? What can researchers offer policy-makers? What paths and operators that promote interaction between research and policy-making do you know? To conclude, describe your thoughts on your own participation in supporting policy-making. We will be returning to this task again at the end of the course. 

Literature and further reading 

Boswell, C. & Smith, K. (2017). Rethinking policy ‘impact’: four models of research policy relations. Palgrave Communications, 3:44. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-017-0042-z 

Head, B. W. (2015). Toward more “evidence-informed” policy making? Public Administration Review, 76:3, 472-484. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12475 

MacKillop, E., Connell, A., Downe, J. & Durrant, H. (2023). Making sense of knowledge-brokering organisations: boundary organisations or policy entrepreneurs? Science and Public Policy. https://doi-org.libproxy.tuni.fi/10.1093/scipol/scad029 

Miller, C. A. & Wyborn, C. (2020). Co-production in global sustainability: Histories and theories. Environmental Science and Policy, 113, 88-95. 

Newman, J. (2014). Revisiting the “two communities” metaphor of research utilisation. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 27:7, 614-627. 

Oliver, K. & Cairney, P. (2019). The dos and don’ts of influencing policy: a systematic review of advice to academics. Palgrave Communications, 5:21. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-019-0232-y 

Sivertsen, G. & Meijer, I. (2020). Normal versus extraordinary societal impact: How to understand, evaluate, and improve research activities in their relations to society. Research Evaluation, 29:1, 66-70. https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvz032 

Sofi (2021). Tieteen ja päätöksenteon vuorovaikutus eilen, tänään ja huomenna. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia. https://acadsci.fi/sofi/wp-content/uploads/Tieteen_ja_paatoksenteon_vuorovaikutus_eilen_tanaan_ja_huomenna_2021_Sofi.pdf