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By Anna Jackman, University of Reading

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As geographers, we’re centrally concerned with the ‘grand challenges’ and ‘wicked problems’ confounding lives and environments alike. As a discipline, we are well-positioned to engage, inform and challenge ‘policy direction’ and decision-making. While recognising that policy-making involves wide-ranging contexts and considerations, this entry provides a practical guide to routes geographers might pursue in engaging UK policy-makers. Drawing upon my research into the impacts of drones on contemporary warfare and everyday life in the UK, it outlines routes to offering evidence, providing guidance, and widening research networks.

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Offering evidence

Written and oral responses to House of Commons and House of Lords inquiries, covering a wide range of societally-relevant issues, offer opportunities to share important findings from geographical research. For example, in 2019 the Commons Defence Committee launched the Ìýinquiry, examining the risk of ‘terrorists and extremists maliciously using drones, and what the Government should do to address this threat’ ().

Once announced, Committees open submissions of written evidence to 'the public, including academics'Ìý(). While details are listed on inquiry webpages, general guidance stresses being concise, using sub-headings, avoiding jargon, and directly addressing the 'terms of reference of the inquiry' (). You can be selective with the questions you respond to, based on your expertise. Once written evidence is submitted, it is processed and made publicly available (see, for example, the Domestic Threat of Drones , including my ).

As written evidence is reviewed, Committees can opt to invite respondents to act as ‘witnesses’, providing further information through oral testimony (). As I learned as a witness, the Committee contacts you regarding session timing, format and scope, including confirming other witness that may be present (). Committee members pose questions in sessions which last up to two hours and are typically streamed on Parliament TV (see, for example, the session I appeared in on ). It’s important to consider the key messages you wish to communicate and the ways you can frame your researchÌýin relation to both the inquiry and wider policy landscape.

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Providing guidance

Geographers can also pursue engagement with policy-makers through the provision of guidance, including acting as a specialist adviser to a committee inquiry, or contributing to or reviewing a .

When Select Committees launch an inquiry, they may choose to appoint a ‘specialist adviser’, an ‘outside specialist paid by the day’ who assists with the inquiry (). Potential candidates may be invited to ‘pre-appointment hearings’ wherein they present to the committee (). While the role varies, it can include input into: the ways written evidence is solicited, witness sourcing, and published materials (). As specialist adviser for the ‘Commercial and recreational use of drones in the UK’ , over a five month period, I provided Members of Parliament (MPs) and the Committee secretariat (public servants who are not specialist in the policy area) with information on potential policy matters to consider, guidance on potential witnesses and questions to ask, and input into briefing materials, such as the Committee’s .

Another great opportunity for engagement is with the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST),Ìýthrough their production of POST-notes, short ‘briefings reviewing emerging areas of research’ (). Spanning , the development of a POST-note involves interviewing academics with relevant expertise (). In my interview for the 2020 ‘’ POST-note, I answered subject-matter questions and offered information on wider areas and issues the briefing might consider. I was later asked to peer review the POST-note, a review process that is typically undertaken by 15-20 experts in the field ().

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Widening networks Ìý

Academics can also widen their policy networks through attending and participating in relevant events, such as those hosted by , a group with ‘origins in UK parliament’ and who organise public policy area focused involving ‘Ministers and regulators, opposition spokesmen and industry and interest groups’ (). While there are fees for attendance, eligible participants can apply for free or reduced fee places.

In addition, you can identify relevant All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs), namely ‘cross-party groups’ that are ‘run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords’ and focus on a policy area of shared interest (). For example, upon contacting the ‘Drones and Modern Conflict ’, I was invited to speak at their 2019 Westminster ‘Rogue Drones’ event. Such participation can aid with both networking and forging potential policy engagement opportunities.

It's also important to note that policy engagement is not limited toÌýworking with policy-makers. There are a range of actors, from ‘civil servants to local councils and think tanks’ that work to explore and ‘confront policy problems’ (). In my research project, , I have sought connection with a range of civil actors, whether by presenting at key events for UK local authorities (e.g. Chartered Institute of Environmental Health’s ), or approaching professional body groups such as the (IOA). Pursuing an interest in the policy dimensions of drone noise, I approached the IOA and was invited to present my research to a relevant working group and to assist with their to the Department for Transport’s .

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Recommendations

• Get to know the policy landscape and the place of your research within it. Search for relevant and , identify , search , and identify resources on the ’ and ’ online libraries.

• Understand potential opportunities. Get started with the , a small team ‘supporting the exchange of information and expertise between researchers and Parliament’ (). The team’s introduce how parliament ‘uses research’ and detail policy-engagement opportunities for academics at different careers stages. You can also search for select committee inquiries , to which you can respond, and upcoming work in the .

• Don’t forget University resources. Universities often have useful resources, from impact managers that can highlight policy engagement opportunities and networks (including theÌý, a community of UK universities working to increase the impact of research on policy, or partnership with the Open Innovation Team, which provides policy-focused training for academics), to IT, communications and/training support to assist with using social media for research and setting up a research website, to aid with the search and discoverability of your research.

• Keep a record of engagement. Whether through a running CV or through requesting a letter detailing the scope of your policy-engagement, it’s useful to keep a record of your experience, as this can support job, probation, and promotion applications, or act as Research Excellence Framework evidence.

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How to cite

Jackman, A. (2023) Engaging with policy-makers. Communicating research beyond the academy. Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Guide.ÌýAvailable at:Ìý

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