Research Use in Government: The Role of Capacity, Relationships, and Leadership

• In Event: 26.079 - Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: 26.079-17 - Promoting Research Use: Cross-Partner Promotion, the Role of Mass Media, and Engagement in Government

Abstract

Despite recent advances in evidence-informed public policy, research remains underutilized in government decision-making related to education. To develop a firmer understanding of this phenomenon, we investigate research use in Canadian provincial governments, focusing on the education, higher education, and science & technology sectors. Twenty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with civil servants in 14 government agencies across Canada’s ten provinces. We highlight the importance of capacity, relationships, and leadership in our discussion of research use in these agencies. A key finding was that well-structured initiatives aimed at improving organizational capacity to use research were critical to evidence-informed decision-making.

Authors

• Daniel Hamlin, University of Toronto - OISE

• Creso Sa, University of Toronto