Engaging with policy stakeholders as a researcher

Researchers tend to engage with policy in two primary ways:

• By offering technical expertise and evidence to help answer a burning policy question.
• By campaigning via grassroots organisations or applying some form of political pressure to help change the way people and government think about an issue.

Whether you’re looking to proactively seek out a policy stakeholder to discuss your work or to attract an approach from a policymaker, there are a number of things you can do to ensure that you get the most out of any policy/research collaboration.

Key tips for researchers looking to engage with policy stakeholders

Be findable. A regular complaint from government officials and policymakers is that it can be difficult to track down relevant research and researchers to help answer their policy questions.

If you have great research and insights, but they can’t be found by people outside of academia, then it’s unlikely that you will be approached to engage on policy issues relating to your work.

It’s therefore important, to make yourself and your work visible and easy to find. The easiest way to do this is by maintaining an online presence via social media and your institution’s website. On the latter, ensure that your contact information and research is up to date and easily accessible to those who want to find it.

For social media, as well as sharing updates on your latest publications and findings, try and engage directly by commenting or messaging on posts by organisations or individuals who may have an interest in your research. Equally, if your area of research is in the news or is going viral, you might consider getting involved in the conversation online.

You may also need to consider the tone and politics of your social media output and try and avoid ideological attacks on a sitting government, for example. This isn’t to say that you can’t be critical but it’s important to appear that you are open to conversation and collaboration, and that you’re not going to undermine or be inflexible with policymakers.

Establish what the policymaker wants. If you’re contacted by a policymaker, you can expect that they will be looking for one of two things:

• Your evidence or research – essentially, knowledge which they do not have.
• Your judgement or expertise on an issue.

For the latter you may be invited to talk or to offer advice and this is can be a constructive opportunity for dialogue. It’s unlikely that your research will align exactly with the policy space, but this is a chance for you to help steer their agenda and have a back and forth where you can share your expertise.

Be empathetic. People in government are often looking to solve problems within a time pressured environment and with an eye on cost-benefit analysis. Remember that civil servants work with elected officials who will be tasking them to come up with policies which can make an impact during their time in office. This can mean that their requests may not align exactly with the realities of research or the available evidence.

It's therefore important to find a way to work navigate these conversations, meet them in the middle to try and understand what they really want out of a collaboration, and think about what you can offer.

But at the same time, set expectations. Any collaboration must work both ways. It’s important to emphasise, for example, that new research cannot be turned around in short order. As part of any conversation, it’s important to set out what is and isn’t achievable.

Build relationships and trust. As is the case in all walks of life, policymakers value people who can be open and trusted. Policy change is unlikely to happen by using cold calling techniques, or by simply sharing a policy brief or research with an MPs office. Relationships first need to be built with the right people in the right space to enable impact to happen.

Researchers working on a tightly defined project can be viewed as an outsider by government and this could leave you feeling that you’re not making a contribution. By developing your relationships and building trust with policymakers, they will feel more relaxed about sharing information and crucial details with you. Again, this works both ways and they will equally benefit from this as researchers will feel more able to be open and offer more candid opinions and suggestions.

Building relationships and developing trust can also enable impact to happen more quickly and may also open doors to other opportunities related to your research.

Seeking out policymakers

There will be times when you wish to seek out policymakers to collaborate with rather than waiting to be contacted. In this instance, you need to be proactive and take relational approach. Search for people whose job roles and departments relate to your research or project area and try and start a conversation with them.

An effective way of doing this is via LinkedIn which will allow you to search for job titles and peruse staff within government departments.

Once you’ve found someone who you think might be interested in your work, drop them a direct message. Introduce yourself, your credentials and your area of research. Let them know why you’re getting in touch, what areas you’d like to discuss and what you think you can offer.

Your introduction could be something as simple as saying ‘I’ve noticed that you’re in charge of XXXX department’, or it could be that you’ve heard them speak about the subject. After this short intro, ask if they might be available for a 30-minute chat to discuss your work and possible opportunities in more detail.

This works more than you think. Set a tone of openness in the meeting but with no pressure to respond to all questions. Try and avoid being too probing and remember to be empathic.

Not everyone will reply but, crucially, some will! You may be surprised at the number of people who are very willing to respond. Even if the person you get in touch with is not the right person to help, they may still be able to pass you on to someone who can.

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This article was written in collaboration with Professor Joe Tomlinson. Joe is Professor of Public Law at the University of York. Joe has worked as a select committee advisor and his research has been cited in major policy reviews, in both Houses of Parliament, and at all levels in the courts and tribunals, including the High Court, Court of Appeal, and UK Supreme Court.