Bridging the Research-Policy Divide Through Participatory Practice: The Role of Civic Engagement in the Knowledge Society
Alice Feldman (University College Dublin)
Abstract
It has been argued that the development of Evidence-Based Policy and Practice (EBPP) is at the very centre of the transition to a knowledge-based society in Europe and Ireland. Central to the promise of EBPP is the cultivation of a more collaborative research environment necessary to enhance capacities and maximise knowledge utilisation and transfer, within and across sectors.
In Ireland, the importance of migration as a research focus has strongly come to the fore in the past decade, forcing the reconceptualisation of the phenomenon itself as well as the landscapes of academic scholarship, policy and practice that have surrounded it. It has challenged long-established assumptions underpinning work in such areas as diversity and governance; citizenship, participation and democracy; social relations and social capital. After over a decade of prolific activity across academic, civic and policy arenas to develop policy and practice necessary to address the pervasive and rapid changes catalysed by substantial in-migration, more visible and coherent infrastructures and working relationships have begun to form.
However, longstanding misconceptions, conflicts of interest and poor relations between university researchers, policy-makers and civil society organisations continue to undermine effective cross-sector engagement and collaboration. Moreover, it is frequently the policy ‘target’ groups, civic activists and organisations who bear the brunt of this rush to research, experiencing burnout and disillusionment as over-researched ‘objects’ of study who feel disempowered and exploited by the research process. Yet, cultivating the type of relationships and capacities necessary for both effective partnerships and quality outcomes is only one side of the story. There are also many challenges to traditional paradigms and institutional remits in relation to the practice and application of research which create further obstacles in achieving the promise of EBPP and other similar initiatives in contributing to positive social change.
This paper draws on a range of participatory, interdisciplinary, cross-sector research projects, funded by such agencies as the Royal Irish Academy Third Sector Research Programme, the Irish Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Heritage Council (Ireland), to explore the potential of and barriers facing the mainstreaming of civic engagement in the research and policy development process.
