Linkages between Researchers and Legislators in Developing Countries

Using the Research and Policy in Development (RAPID) framework, this study maps the links between researchers and legislators in transition and developing countries and explores the role of politics in influencing researcher–legislator linkages. It is published by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) as part of the ODI Working Papers series. From the online summary: "Since the executive branch of governments generally has access to a larger pool of knowledge and expertise than the national legislature, there is a need to address the imbalance in access to knowledge between the executive, legislature and judiciary in order to promote better quality policy-making. Better access to information and research can help empower legislatures to formulate and pass effective legislation and perform effective scrutiny of government...."

In its analysis of the researcher-legislator linkages, the study finds that "civil society organisations (CSO), particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, perhaps because of weak political parties, play a key role in representing grassroots constituencies in legislative processes....Researchers and experts, often from civil society, have been asked to provide evidence/give testimonies to individual legislators or parliamentary committees on an ad hoc basis, for example to help with drafting bills....Innovative mechanisms include the pairing scheme...[trialled in the United Kingdom and] adapted to the Ugandan context.... Legislators and legislative committees have links with external think-tanks dealing with a range of issues....In Korea and Peru, institutional links mean that researchers are obliged to respond to requests for information from (national-level) legislators. Interestingly, opportunities for research institutes to inform the legislature may increase as state funding for government-affiliated research bodies decreases – as has been the case in Korea....Good research has the potential to move debates to more strategic levels and to narrow down areas of disagreement....Tradeoffs often have to be made between perceptions of independence and influence on the policy process and on policy-makers.

...Where hard data is concerned [such as financial management], research tends to be demand-oriented; in the softer sectors, CSOs have tended to take the initiative to engage legislators.

The relationship between political context factors and researcher–legislator links is very complex. Legislators’ personal motivations, such as the desire for political advancement, to influence policy, for power in a legislative body and for private gain, can affect the way they view or use evidence in the policy process. The capacity provided by a legislature’s procedures, structures and support mechanisms also influences the role of research in law-making and oversight processes. Donors also have played a significant role in the capacity building of legislative organs, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The nature of the evidence plays a key role in its uptake. Researchers need to work harder to ensure evidence is accessible by legislators. Evidence that is timely, independent and related to legislative decisions, that fits tightly with legislative processes and that is political acceptable and non-partisan is more likely to influence or at least inform legislation. Legislators emphasised the need for researchers to go beyond stating research findings to actually narrate a compelling story with practical policy recommendations. Moreover, evidence is more likely to be taken up if messages resonate with broader national policy agendas, such as economic growth. Given the pressures on their time and relatively low research literacy levels, research intended for legislators needs to be presented in short summaries, where possible illustrated by pictures and/or charts. Nevertheless, Legislators’ staff prefer formats that present more detail."

The document concludes with a chart on page 16 of types of linkages that exist between researchers and legislators in developing countries and presents a number of lessons for both researchers and legislators who want to enhance the processes through which research can inform legislative functions:
"For researchers -

1. As well as responding to legislator requests, researchers can influence the legislature by tracking key legislative debates and taking advantage of opportunities to feed in information and analysis. This can be done through developing and sustaining an informal network of legislators and their staff and/or working through and with key intermediaries.
2. Researchers have been proactive in feeding in information and analysis particularly related to social policy areas (as opposed to finance and economic areas), such as health, education, gender and child affairs. This owes in large part to successful partnerships between researchers and civil society activists....
3. Building and sustaining good relationships with relevant legislators and/or legislative committees is a critical part of promoting uptake of research evidence in the legislative process.
4. Working in coalition on common issues enables researchers to use resources more efficiently and to have a louder voice when engaging with legislators. Moreover, different types of actors such CSOs and academics have often worked together successfully to influence legislative debates around poverty reduction and social exclusion.
5. Research can be effective in shaping legislative debates if it is tailored to legislators’ needs. For example, research is more likely to have an impact on decision-making if it is clear and concise, professional but not academic in nature, timely, independent, related to legislative decisions and politically acceptable. Legislators are also more likely to take notice of research if the means through which it is communicated are innovative. They are more likely to listen to a story that will resonate with the media and public.

For legislators -

1. Legislators can improve their research literacy and promote better understanding of their research needs through enhanced networking and joint working with researchers as well as with legislators from other countries. Possible models include:
   • Institutional agreements with research institutes and/or civil society knowledge producers, so as to promote an ongoing flow of information, ideas and debate;
   • Promoting an official role for researchers to review the technical quality of legislative proposals;
   • Commissioning specific policy-relevant research and/or inviting the submission of evidence by well respected experts;
   • Organising seminars or convening public hearings to invite deliberation on specific policy issues with a range of stakeholders;
   • Increased funding for research support staff associated with each legislative committee;
   • Funding of a legislature-wide library research services facility; and
   • Study tours to neighbouring countries to exchange experiences.
2. Enhanced commitment from the government (executive branch) to the role of evidence in the policy process can promote the uptake of research in the legislative process....
3. Although some research organisations are starting to track how their inputs are affecting the legislative process, more could be done to promote monitoring and evaluation of the use of research in legislative decision-making. This will enable both researchers and legislators to learn what works and what does not, and ultimately to improve the quality of legislation and the legislative process."