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Leading research policy experts contacted by Research Fortnight advised that while the UK Government’s set of six evidence-based policy advice centres seem to be off to a good start, thinking about how the evidence produced by these centres migth be used in policy and practice will be important if they are to have impact.

  • Cary Cooper, chairman of the Academy of Social Sciences: ministers should not be mandated to follow scientific evidence, as it is not always definitive and politicians need to make decisions based on other factors.
  • Kieron Flanagan, lecturer in science and technology policy at the University of Manchester: potential for future conflict between the Government’s chief scientific adviser and What Works Centres unless cross-government relationships are defined. “What if the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, for example, decided the evidence says X, and the What Works centres said the evidence says Y—what’s a minister supposed to do?”
  • The What Works network’s council will include research funders and host institutions as well as government finance directors, who are “the ones likely to say [where and how] money is spent. Through the council, the What Works Centres will inform funders of gaps in evidence, which is expected to influence funding. Jack Stilgoe, lecturer in science policy at University College London warns that this could “put a lot of pressure” on research councils, on top of the desires of academics.
     

 

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