Skip to main navigationSkip to main content
The University of Southampton
Public Policy|Southampton

Bridging the Science Policy Divide – some practical suggestions

Bridging the Science Policy Divide – some practical suggestions
Craig Hutton

Since 2011, University of Southampton has been leading a series of policy relevant applied research projects into environmental, economic and social management in coastal Bangladesh. This activitiy has involved some 20 in-country partner institutions (NGOs & Academic) as well as some 60 government/NGO/academic stakeholders and produced 3 books and many academic papers. However, a critical outcome of this multi-faculty lead work that has been to identify a series of practical and transferable lessons learned in regard to how this work engaged, and continues to engage with key decision makers, civil society and at the grass roots level.

1) Stakeholders are the beginning, middle and end of your project.  They need to be engaged prior to any modelling or project development. Build into your proposed work the capacity to modify the direction the project can take to take account of the interest of decision makers and those who are likely to use your work. This means you can focus your work to answer questions being asked. You can bring in advise and expert opinion in time  but start by acknowledging their needs and agenda.

2) Do your homework. Build an organogram/map of organisations and institutions, their relationships and interests. This includes understand where there are or may be conflicts.  Listen carefully to both your partners and other stakeholders to cross reference this map. Carry out an exhaustive policy analysis that extends beyond academic literature into policy documents and appropriate grey literature.

3)  Identify amongst your stakeholder “Champions”. These are organisations/individuals who might well be users of your work at the end of the project. Engage them at a one to one level and involve them in the design and development of your work. Identify with them specific policy/plans/goals that you can help them with. Get to know your key stakeholders well. People prefer to work with people they know and have come to respect. Spend time cultivating your relationships.

4) Allow stakeholders to have a tangible input to the project. In our case this meant many deep meetings with stakeholders capturing their expertise on coastal management. Stakeholders are more likely to use an output they have helped build. Preferably develop a tool or output that decision makers can utilise themselves or with local help as opposed to needing to come to external experts.

5) Where possible offer capacity building/development with stakeholders.  This may extend from technical training to active participation in the project, to undertaking advance degrees.

6) If working abroad, build up your in-country partners links to decision makers.  These may be academic partner, NGOs or private sector individuals. They will be in-county when you are not, they are the exponents of legacy once the project is over and they stand to gain the most form a long-term association with stakeholders.

7) Work with your stakeholders to explore scenarios of the future or how things might evolve using your outputs. This can extend from discussions to fully developed simulation tool that allow stakeholders to explore potential policy ideas and trade offs.

 

Prof. Craig Hutton is Professor of Sustainability Science at GeoData Institute within School of Geography and Environmental Sciences at the University of Southampton.

Privacy Settings