The General Election has been called; what does it mean for influencing policy?

From July 5, politicians will be newly elected, and civil servants will have a new government agenda to define and deliver. Head of Policy Amy Williams, and Knowledge Exchange Policy Engagement Lead Jennifer Watson, share their top tips on how to connect your research with both politicians and the civil service to inform future policy agendas.

The focus now for political parties is on winning the election

Timing is everything. Between now and 4 July, Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs), i.e. those standing to be Members of Parliament (MPs), will be solely focussed on winning the election. Now is not the time to ask for a conversation about a detailed policy area or request letters of support for your research impacts. Equally, the government’s election guidance for UK civil servants notes that they should not undertake any activity that could call into question their political impartiality or give rise to criticism that public resources are being used for party political purposes. This means they should decline invitations to events where they may be asked to respond on questions about future government policy or on matters of public controversy. Once a new government is in place, remember, the politicians will take the bigger picture decisions on policy, with civil servants’ roles covering policy detail and implementation, usually in a narrowly defined area.

Understand where politicians are coming from and what they’re trying to achieve

Whilst the pre-election period is not the time for detailed policy conversations with candidates, or civil servants, it is the time to understand the broad plans each party has for government. These will be outlined in the parties’ manifestos. Manifestos matter; the public and media hold parties to account against them. There will be other documents that set out the parties’ thinking and objectives too. Labour, for example, has a document for each of its five missions for government while the Conservatives’ Plan sets out its priority areas. Any approach to policy-makers (be they politicians or civil servants) after the election will be better received if it’s framed in terms of what they are trying to achieve, so familiarise yourself with what that is. Whilst much will change as parties' plans become clearer, there are some places you can look now to identify opportunities. From a civil service perspective, look at the Departmental Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) and how these link to the parties’ policy goals - the ARIs are unlikely to significantly change, even with a change of government.

Are you offering a solution to an accepted problem or persuading over the nature of the problem?

The nature of policy-influencing work will depend on the issue and the parties’ stance on it. If a political party agrees that there is a problem, to which your research suggests a solution, you can offer that solution as a way into the conversation. Such a conversation could involve civil servants as it will relate to detail and possibly operational issues. Look out for opportunities such as those listed in the UK Parliament’s Knowledge Exchange (KE) newsletter which advertises opportunities to connect your research to parliamentary work and how to connect with civil servants. The Parliament’s KE Unit has a great source of top tips on pre-election planning - see here for more details:

If you are seeking to persuade about the nature of a problem and/or the questions government or parliament should be asking, this will be a different type of conversation and may be more political and campaigning in nature. Partners, such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or advocacy bodies, can be particularly useful in this context to persuade policy-makers about the strength and application of your research-based policy recommendations. It  can be useful to map out who else is working on your chosen topic or issue and to reach out to them to try and build support for your ideas. A collective effort can prove more effective in promoting your solution, and can help provide you with support in interacting with policymakers. Work out the nature of the influence work you want to engage in and develop a strategy accordingly.

Relationships are key; building them takes time and work

Politicians and civil servants have limited time and resources and so they often draw on expertise and insight from people they trust. It is therefore critical to focus time and effort on building relationships with key influencers within and beyond parliament and government. To help develop those relationships focus on making your research findings as accessible, easy to understand and as directly applicable as possible. Given the time pressures policy-makers are under, being able to respond within their timeframe with a partial answer is better than responding with a full answer after the deadline.  If there is additional evidence or campaign support for the arguments you’re making, bring those together so that a more comprehensive picture can be presented. Better still, present any counter arguments and how your research addresses them. Be prepared to respond  to what you hear from policy-makers. Think about politicians who might be particularly open to hearing what you have to say; do they have a link with the University/one of your partners (as a local MP, alumni, previously involved with campaign groups/worked on the issues previously).  Academics shouldn't expect immediate results but need to think about building a long term engagement strategy to build that trust. 

Listen

Effective policy influencing is about having two way conversations with policy makers, rather than imparting information. Be prepared to consider how any counter arguments can inform your research development. Are there points being raised by the policy makers that you hadn’t previously considered? Are there gaps in the evidence that need to be addressed? These can all help to inform and enrich the development of your research.  

If you want support with connecting your research with policy-makers contact your Faculty KE teams or email the KE Policy Engagement team at collaborate@sheffield.ac.uk.

If you have successfully influenced policy, please get in touch with policy@sheffield.ac.uk. The Policy Team is looking for case studies to evidence the importance of government investment in research, given continued increases in research budgets are not guaranteed, whatever the outcome of the General Election.