Showcasing influence on public policy | Interview with Jennifer Gold
In this interview, Dr. Jen Gold, Director of Research at ESRC, highlights mechanisms within ESRC for evaluating research impact on public policy. She shares examples of successful policy influence, such as welfare reforms in South Africa and the Propensity to Cycle Tool in England, underscoring the importance of sustained engagement with policymakers. Gold discusses methods to convincingly evidence the impact of research, including gathering testimonials from policymakers to trace the influence of research on policy decisions.
0:00 - Intro
0:53 - Mechanisms of evaluation
2:20 - Examples of significant influence
4:10 - Effective evidencing of impact
Dr Jen Gold is Director of Research at the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Before joining ESRC in October 2021, Jen was Head of Evidence and Evaluation at 10 Downing Street. She previously led the UK Government’s ‘What Works’ initiative, which was established by the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury to champion the use of research evidence in public policy.
Jen has held senior roles at the Institute for Government and the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance. She holds an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge – both funded by the ESRC – and an undergraduate degree in Geography from Durham University. She has also been a Visiting Fellow in Science and Technology Studies at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
This video is part of the ‘Policy Engagement’ training programme delivered by the Institute for Methods Innovation, Fast Track Impact and Walcott Communications Limited on behalf of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).