Month: June 2023

Evidence informed ‘evidence informed policy and practice’

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David Gough, Chris Maidment and Jonathan Sharples

This blog post is based on the Evidence & Policy article, ‘Enabling knowledge brokerage intermediaries to be evidence-informed.’

Research evidence can be useful (alongside lots of other information) in informing policy, practice and personal decision making. But does this always happen? It tends to be assumed that if research is available and relevant then it will be used in an effective self-correcting ‘evidence ecosystem’, but in many cases the ‘evidence ecosystem’ may be dysfunctional or not functioning at all. Potential users may not demand relevant evidence, not be aware of the existence of relevant research, or may misunderstand it use and relevance.

Knowledge brokerage intermediary (KBIs) agencies (such as knowledge clearinghouses and What Works Centre) aim to improve this by enabling the engagement between research use and research production. We believe that KBIs are essential innovations for improving research use. In this blog, we suggest four ways that they might be further developed by having a more overt focus on the extent that they themselves are evidence informed in their work, as we explore in our Evidence & Policy article.

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The role of intermediaries in evidence-based policymaking: insights from the education system in Israel

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Barak Ariel and Hagit Sabo-Brants

This blog post is based on the Evidence & Policy article, ‘Building bridges in place of barriers between school practitioners and researchers: on the role of embedded intermediaries in promoting evidence-based policy’.

The Israeli education system provides insights into the importance of intermediaries in evidence-based policymaking. Effective intermediaries can bridge the gap between research and practice by fostering collaboration and facilitating knowledge transfer between researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. The ideal intermediary should have the respect of both researchers and practitioners and a comprehensive understanding of both worlds. Practitioners should be involved in selecting and implementing intermediaries to meet their needs. Applying intermediaries in policymaking can result in more efficient and effective policies that benefit researchers and practitioners.

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