There is a growing interest in improving academic policy engagement in the UK and internationally. However, we still have a lot to learn about how to do this work better. This book provides a novel contribution, with authors drawn from UK government, parliament, research funders and academia. It focuses on three key areas: how academics articulate the value and relevance of research to policy, the different ways in which academic-policy engagement occur and how research impacts upon policy. The contributors bring a vast amount of experience to bear on these topics and as such help to move forward our thinking on how academic-policy engagement might help to promote the use of research to support policy making. -- Annette Boaz and Kathryn Oliver, Transforming Evidence and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK All too often it seems that researchers are from Mars and policy makers from Venus. In other words, policy researchers hope for their research to be useful to policy makers, and policy makers value the insights from policy researchers, but all too often they talk past another. How to Engage Policy Makers is a long overdue book that provides a valuable handbook for researchers on how to bridge that gap and increase the odds that the results of their research will be of value to policy makers. -- Robert D. Atkinson, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, US While the book is titled How to Engage Policy Makers with Your Research, it is the subtitle The Art of Informing and Impacting Policy that speaks to its value. The key words being art and impact. This book assembles the experience of 41 such experts, academics, funders and policy authors, to illustrate how the nexus of research and policy is an art that can maximize the potential of your next research-policy engagement. -- David J. Phipps, York University, Canada The need for the academic community to contribute to policy dialogue, and for policymakers to seek expert advice, has never been more obvious. This book is a highly relevant collection of insights and advice for all those who would like to see better policies, better evidenced, in all walks of life. -- Phil Clare, University of Oxford, UK Knowledge Exchange practitioners should gain a greater sense of purpose and pride from reading this book, which recognises the particular skills set needed to build sustainable and diverse policy-research relationships. Far from a dry theory of knowledge exchange, this is insightful sharing of practice from people working on the frontlines of academic-policy engagement and who understand the challenges and opportunities such activity offers. -- Tamsin Mann, PraxisAuril, UK
