Putting the research boot on the policymakers’ foot: Can participatory approaches change the relationship between policymakers and evaluation

May 1, 2015

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This paper presents a case study of a self-evaluation by local government politicians. The authors then discuss the lessons learned about the characteristics of a successful self-evaluation, the process of engaging policymakers in research, and the feasibility of positivist participatory research. The authors also contextualize the case study by describing the current relationship between politics and science in policy decision-making, and the tensions between participatory research and positivist methods that exist in current research approaches.

Richardson, L. (2013). Putting the research boot on the policymakers’ foot: Can participatory approaches change the relationship between policymakers and evaluation. Social Policy & Administration, 47(4), 483-500. Full Text.