Mobilizing Knowledge for Better Public Policy:Lessons from the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Rob Greenwood, Ph.D., Executive DirectorCanadian Research Data Centre Network Annual ConferenceFredericton, Oct. 22, 2012

Outline

• Knowledge mobilization• Harris Centre• Yaffle• Lessons re. Governments• Lessons re. Policy Stakeholders• Tactical Considerations• Final Thoughts / Lessons

Knowledge Mobilization: Harris Centre Perspective

• Continuum of inside-out, outside-in and co-production

Ideally:• Engage stakeholders to define issues / needs /

opportunities• Involve partners in knowledge generation• Ground-truth findings to inform conclusions• Recognize independence of researcher• Dissemination / application have many

champions…

Harris Centre Mandate• Established October 2004• Coordinate and Facilitate the University’s

Activities Relating to Regional Policy and Development

• Advise on Building the University’s Capacity• Identify Priority Themes and Projects relating

to:• Teaching• Research• Outreach

• Emerging role: Honest Broker

Harris Centre Knowledge Mobilization Programs and Initiatives

• Public Presentations• Invitation-only Sessions• Targeted Research Funding• Knowledge Exchange• Packaging Research to Meet Needs• Regional Workshops• New Opportunity Identification: “one-pagers”• Yaffle.ca

A ‘marketplace’ for information

What’s a Yaffle?

What’s a Yaffle?

Yaffle Today

• Over 105,000 searches since public launch (Feb. 2009)• Accessed from 182 countries over 6 continents• Average of 100 users per day

• Graduate Students using Yaffle for thesis topics• Identification of Internships• Government, Community and Media constant users• 2012 (so far) – over 20 new brokered projects

Yaffle Statistics & Next Steps

• 1600+ Lay Summaries• 150+ Opportunities• 900+ Researcher and Staff Expertise Profiles• University of Alberta and University of New

Brunswick interest in adopting Yaffle; discussions under way

• Extension of Yaffle outside Memorial to research and knowledge mobilization partners within NL, including College system

• Exploring links with MUN Research Repository: searchable archive of reports, presentations, conference papers and more

Harris Knowledge Mobilization Process

Lessons re. Governments (1)

• Politicians with Imposter Syndrome

provide background / context to data don’t get bogged down in methodology plain language stories; examples; cases charts, graphs, maps policy options; pros and cons

Lessons re. Governments (2)

• Politicians without Imposter Syndrome

Type 1: confident; open to policy debate same as last slide: enjoy!

Type 2: defensive; ideological focus on bureaucrats; stakeholders; media

Lessons re. Governments (3)

• Working with Bureaucrats (1) Central Agencies: they are smarter

than you (and everyone) publish in peer review journals attach yourself to a prestigious think tank

or academic star partner with industry associations get quoted in the Globe; The Economist is

better(they’re not actually smarter than you)

Lessons re. Governments (4)

• Working with Bureaucrats (2) Line Departments Develop relationships with policy and

program leads in your area have lunch invite to conferences: ask them to

present, or chair a session, or be on a panel

add to list serves / e-mail relevant articles build trust

Lessons re. Governments (5)

• Working with Bureaucrats (3) Line Departments (cont’d.) Design engaged research engage in problem identification draw on policy, program knowledge ground truth emerging findings jointly develop knowledge mobilization plan develop policy briefs, one-pagers, lay

summaries: meet their needs

Lessons re. Governments (6)

Rule by auditor: nobody moves, nobody gets hurt keep money / focus inside government: more

control keep money / focus inside department: even more

control look for government – wide strategies, inter-

departmental committees, cutting across the silos: outside individual department control

monitoring and evaluation / performance measures is an opportunity: needs data

Patience

Lessons re. Policy Stakeholders

• Same lessons re. knowledge mobilization / engagement intermediary organizations / umbrellas (NGOs,

communities, industry, special interests) they are bridges into their constituency

• Media cultivate relationships answer their calls / meet their deadlines draw on data; explain implications; use stories they are bridges to public (good luck with that)

Tactical Considerations (1)

• Remember path dependency / institutional “lock in” think of ways to get interests at the table

in new ways, that don’t fit their traditional way of doing business cross-gov’t strategy; task force; white paper multi-stakeholder process

don’t expect old institutional interests to change their approach in familiar situations

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Tactical Considerations (2)

• Universities and colleges matter (more and more)

public engagement / knowledge mobilization greater recognition and support

students want to engage / aren’t entrenched university faculty independence is useful in

speaking truth to power colleges on the ground / applied find the bridges; build your own

www.yaffle.ca; Harris Centre, CRDCN; etc.

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Tactical Considerations (3)

• The strength of weak ties

use networks (provincial, national, international organizations)

target key influencers social media media others?

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Harris Centre Knowledge Mobilization:

Final Thoughts / Lessons • Never overestimate capacity of community,

government, industry partners• Communicate in terms appropriate to

audience• Nothing succeeds like success:

communicate successes• Create informal / accessible “spaces” physical and virtual

• Don’t compromise independence and integrity: that’s the product you’re selling

Thank you!

• Comments?

• Questions?

• Opportunities?!

robg@mun.ca