Mandy Cheetham
This blog post is based on the Evidence & Policy article, ‘What I really want is academics who want to partner and who care about the outcome’: findings from a mixed-methods study of evidence use in local government in England’.
Background
It is recognised that closer interaction between those working in policy and practice and academic researchers increases the likelihood of evidence being used to improve outcomes, but progress remains slow. Policymakers and researchers continue to be seen (unhelpfully) as occupying separate worlds, with limited research undertaken into efforts to address this perceived division.
In this blog post, we outline the main messages from a recently published article in Evidence & Policy, which draws on a collaborative, mixed methods study funded by the Health Foundation: Local Authority Champions of Research (LACoR). We explore evidence use in the context of local government from the perspectives of those who work there.
What we did
The research team included ‘outsider’ and ‘insider’ researchers from four Local Authorities across the UK and three universities. As part of a wider study, we undertook in depth interviews (n=14) with local government staff to explore how evidence is found, contextualised, mobilised and negotiated in public health policy, practice and commissioning processes.
What we found
The findings suggest there is growing appetite to strengthen the use of evidence in local government. We found examples of long-term personal networks and trusting relationships between academics and local government staff with relevant skills who can act as change agents, as part of wider systems of evidence use.
Research champions in local government employed different strategies to influence their colleagues, using their understanding of the context and diverse microcultures of evidence use which co-exist in local government. We argue research champions can help academics navigate the social, financial, political and regulatory context of local government, influencing change dynamically as opportunities emerge.
We found support for co-located embedded researchers who use contextually specific knowledge and relationships to enhance evidence use in local government. Embedded researchers can enhance connectivity and interaction, build linkages, change attitudes, use levers of influence, and learn in collaboration with in-house system navigators.
The mechanisms of influence and diverse impacts of embedded research in local government require further research, including the organisational context and approaches which enable success. Our study suggests (some) academics have preconceived ideas about capacity and capability in local government which can hinder progress.
Take home messages
The study offers pragmatic examples of collaborative efforts to build a culture of evidence use in local government. Our findings suggest in-house capacity remains underestimated and underutilised in efforts to embed evidence use in local government decision making.
We argue there is a need for academics to adapt their approach. They should take account of the context of local government in efforts to achieve meaningful health and social impacts, and should do so in collaboration with their local government colleagues. Future studies could usefully test the contribution of embedded approaches to wider system change.
Mandy Cheetham is employed at Northumbria University as Research Fellow for the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria (NIHR200173).
Her research interests focus on research and evidence use in public health, knowledge mobilisation, embedded research, collaborative, participatory, place-based and community-led approaches to addressing inequalities in health, and the health and social impacts of welfare reform, including Universal Credit.
Image credit: iStock (AndreyPopov). Used with permission.
Read the original research in Evidence & Policy:
Cheetham, M. Redgate, S. van der Graaf, P, Humble, C. Hunter, D. and Adamson, A. (2022). ‘What I really want is academics who want to partner and who care about the outcome’: findings from a mixed-methods study of evidence use in local government in England. Evidence & Policy, 10.1332/174426421X16535820632215. OPEN ACCESS
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