This 10-page article offers some insights from policy studies and case studies of Oxfam campaigns to promote the uptake of research evidence in policy. Oxfam is an international NGO whose mission is to reduce global poverty by providing humanitarian support, long-term development projects, and ‘influencing’ to address the root causes of poverty.

Practical experiences, such as Oxfam’s, have shown that effective policy influencing requires a deep understanding of the role of research evidence. The article lays out some of the strategies that have contributed to effective evidence uptake:

The first is learning how policymaking works. This involves understanding what needs to change, who can achieve this change, and how. This information can then be used to inform an influencing and research strategy, and translated into knowledge-based influencing outputs (e.g. policy briefs or social media posts).

Secondly, it is important to design, frame, and time evidence. This means anticipating who the evidence is for, which can be effectively done by involving relevant stakeholders in the research process. 

Additionally, framing and communicating research in a way that appeals to the values and interests of its targeted audience also helps increase uptake. Lastly, it’s important to bear in mind that evidence is more likely to influence policymakers when it’s presented to them during ‘windows of opportunity’. This way, they are more likely to be motivated to act on it.

The third tactic is to combine evidence with additional influence strategies. These include ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ action, and helping social movements or neglected issues get onto the policy agenda. The appropriateness of each method or mix of methods will depend on the specific contexts and events. 

Finally, using evidence effectively for influencing policy requires embracing trial and error. For instance, coming up with ways to compensate for limited research capacity and maximise limited resources. NGOs like Oxam have made use of good narratives that turn evidence into messages that stick; invested in building relationships with decision-makers; and reflecting and learning from practice.

Overall, this article talks about some of the ‘good practice’ strategies that have helped increase Oxfam’s research uptake.