The Myth: Reliable research knowledge is the only basis policy-making needs.
Reality: research results are useful to policy-makers as they increase understanding of various phenomena and provide support for the policy-makers’ views. This myth still needs busting, because:
- Research results describe the world, meaning that they offer no direct information on how a policy-maker should act or what the goal of policy-making should be. The selection of goals is always influenced by the values upon which political decision-making is built.
- The political process is a balancing act between various forms of knowledge (e.g., statistics, experiential knowledge), competing interests of stakeholders, interests of various communities and the political views within the government. In this complex whole, research knowledge is only one possibly impactful factor.