Converting Policy Research into Policy Decisions

"Policy research is not an end in itself. It is financed and undertaken to contribute to the progress of mankind and this honorable goal can only be achieved if the results of the research are communicated to policymakers and to those who influence them, i.e. the media."

With that commitment in mind, Klaus von Grebmer sets forth several strategies designed to enable policy researchers to more effectively communicate with policymakers and the media. His central suggestion is that policymakers must be privy to "the right information in the right form at the right time".

Von Grebmer rejects a "container theory" of communication, according to which a "sender" packs the information he or she wants to convey into a container and passes it on to a "receiver" who unpacks it and immediately and fully understands it. This theory poorly describes the situation at issue in such research areas as food policy: While researchers have an ethical obligation to rigorously examine and detail their methodology and results, policymakers have neither the time to read, nor the background to understand, these lengthy scientific reports.

For this reason, a process of condensation, simplication, and even translation of reports is needed. Information that is more likely to reach policymakers, and, by extension, have a real impact:

• gives him or her a good understanding of the magnitude and dynamic of the problem at stake
• explains its causes
• recognises the political context, outlines the basic actions that can be taken, and indicates the outcome.

Further, von Grebmer states, it is important that research results and the basic concepts behind them are reinforced on a person-to-person basis with ample room for dialogue and discussion with policymakers.

Even if "packaged" correctly, this information can fail to be impactive if it is delivered too late in the policymaking process. The author explains that the information needs to be communicated during the stages in which policymakers are developing the policy agenda, identifying specific objectives and policy options, evaluating these options, and advancing recommendations.

Another strategy for reaching policymakers is getting their attention through the media. Von Grebmer stresses that policymakers are more likely to be drawn to an issue when the media has expressed an interest in it. The same basic strategy - "the right information in the right form at the right time" - applies here. In this regard, "The issue has to get the attention of reporters, raise their interest in the subject, and spark their desire to report about it. Therefore, research results have to be further condensed and simplified." Referring to the media's hunger for sensationalistic stories, the author points out that, even if the research results are new and surprising, tailored efforts may be needed to grab the media's attention. Here, again, the way in which information is spun - and the timing of its delivery - is key. For example, "Research on the importance of cocoa production in certain countries is not an interesting topic per se; however, if it can be placed in the context of high chocolate consumption on Valentine's Day..." it might make the news.

This paper concludes by stressing why effective communication matters in this context. Von Grebmer puts it as follows: "If the general public does not know about the tremendous benefits of agricultural research, and if many members of parliament do not know about them either, budget reductions will not meet heavy political resistance and can be engineered quite easily by a small but dedicated interest group. In the end, it is the poor in developing countries who will suffer from this failure to communicate research results."

Note: A slightly different version of this paper will appear as: von Grebmer, Klaus. "Converting Policy Research into Policy Decisions: The Role of Communication and the Media" In S.C. Babu and A. Gulati, editors. Economic Reforms and Food Security in South Asia: The Role of Trade and Technology. The Haworth Press, Binghamton, NY. Forthcoming (2004).

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