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Creating a Window of Opportunity for Policy Change
By Nancy Yinger,
The Population Reference Bureau
AMDD Conference
Kuala Lumpur, 2003
Workshop Objectives
• Goal: To provide overview of the role of information in policy process.
• Topics: The research-to-policy gap A model of the policy process Policy-relevant findings, implications, and
recommendations The importance of evaluation
The Research-to-Policy Gap
• Large investments have been made in policy-relevant data collection and research.
• Yet, opportunities for increasing knowledge and putting data to use are often lost.
• Researchers and decision makers work in different spheres.
How is the gap manifested?
• Stereotypes
• Assumptions about how decisions are made
Researchers' Stereotypes of Policymakers
Uninterested or too busy to read
Reach hasty conclusions
Actions unsubstantiated by data
Distrust survey and research findings
Limited perspective
Should be responsible for drawing implications from the data
Policymakers’ Stereotypes of Researchers
Avoid policy implications of findingsProne to professional "faddism"Excessive use of technical jargonInconclusive generalities about broad
theoretical mattersLittle appreciation of real problems and
data needs
Assumptions about Decision-making
• Practice rational decision-making
• Prioritize goals and objectives
• Examine alternative solutions systematically
• Choose alternatives that maximize goals
Researchers may assume that policymakers:
Policymaking is Not Linear
PROBLEMSSOLUTIONS
POLITICS
A Window of Opportunity for Policy Change
Window of opportunity
POLITICS
PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS
Moving the Spheres Together
PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS
POLITICSCoaliti
on
Build
ing
Policy
Learning
Agenda Setting
The Goal of Agenda Setting
Help issues gain and keep the attention of:
The media
The public
Policymakers
Characteristics of Issues that Get on the Policy Agenda
• Clear, measurable indicators
• Policy champions
• Feasible policy or program alternatives
• Attention-focusing events
Agenda Setting Activities
• Press conferences and other kinds of support for journalists
• Public events, seminars and speeches
• One-on-one meetings with policymakers
Coalition Building
Links together individuals fromGovernmentThe academic communityThe mediaNGOs and advocacy groups Businesses
Coalition Building Activities
• Create and/or facilitate media or advocacy networks
• Provide information to existing networks
Policy Learning
• The ongoing stream of information to policymakers
• An understanding by all actors of complex power relations and changing institutional arrangements
Policy Learning Activities
• Policy analyses• Publications• Electronic communications
(websites, CD-roms, e-newsletters)
• Seminars and briefings
Crafting the Policy Message
Policy communication messages derive directly from the datahelp decision makers to
understand policy implications and to make grounded policy recommendations.
Research
KeyFindings
Recommendations
Implications
Research to Recommendations
Policy
Environment
Other Research
Implications are:
• Broad statements that express a direction, new information, or a need implied by the findings.
• Analyses derived from two or more findings.
• Guides to help the audience begin to interpret the findings.
Making the Link to Recommendations
Implications are a bridge from your key findings to policy recommendations.
Recommendations:
• Offer specific actions that you urge a policymaker or program planner to take.
• Should start with an action & be S.M.A.R.T.
A S.M.A.R.T. Recommendation Is:
• Specific• Measurable• Action-oriented• Realistic• Timebound
Skilled Attendance at Delivery, by Residence, India 1998-99
56
2318
11
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Urban Rural
Doctor Trained nurse/midwife
Source: OCR Macro, India National Family Health Survey, Demographic and Health Surveys.
Percent of live births
Implications
• Rural women may be at significantly higher risk of maternal death than urban women because of the low level of skill attendance at birth.
• A higher percentage of the urban women who have skilled care rely on doctors, which may result in higher medical costs.
Recommendations
• Within one year, conduct a behavior change campaign in rural areas to increase awareness of the importance of skilled care, and in urban areas to build support for using nurse/midwives.
• Within two years, expand the number of trained nurse/midwives by 50%, and include a community service requirement to increase the pool of skilled providers in rural areas.
Place of Delivery, by Education, Peru 2000
15
29
8184
69
18
0102030405060708090
No Education Primary Education Secondary +
Delivery at health facility Delivery at home
Source: OCR Peru Demographic and Health Survey.
Percent of live births
Implication
• Educational level is clearly related to whether women in Peru deliver their babies at home or in facilities, but only the most educated women rely on facilities. Since women with primary education are quite similar to those with no education, programs need to target both groups to address their needs for safe delivery.
Recommendations
• Within 6 months, conduct additional analysis on the constraints to facility-based delivery faced by the 2 lower-education groups.
• Within 1 year, start a community-based project to address those constraints, including materials for low-literate or illiterate populations about the danger signs of obstetric emergencies.
Evaluating Policy Communications
Have policy communications activities :
• Helped your issues gain the attention of policy makers;
• Enhanced coalition efforts to increase the saliency of your issues; or
• Supported policy learning?
And Ultimately…The Window of Opportunity
Is there evidence of change in
• Policies,
• Programs,
• Strategies, or
• Resource allocation?
Need for Benchmarks
Coalition building Policy Learning
Agenda Setting
“best”
“worst”
Initial Assessment
Coalition building
Agenda Setting
Policy Learning
Post-Intervention Assessment
Coalition Building:No change
Agenda Setting: Improved
Policy Learning:Improved
Window open
In Summary
• Policy change is a complex, dynamic process.
• Research can play a key role but the research-to-policy gap must be bridged.
• Agenda-setting, coalition building & policy learning are key elements in policy change.
• Effective policy communication depends on clear findings, implications & recommendations.
Saving Women’s Lives
Communicating your research findings to policymakers will help open the Window of Opportunity for improved maternal health policies.
Thank you!