SOCIAL RESEARCH AND NATIONAL POLICY - WHAT GETS USED, BY WHOM, FOR WHAT PURPOSES, AND WITH WHAT EFFECTS (FROM EVALUATION STUDIES REVIEW ANNUAL, V 2, 1977, BY MARCIA GUTTENTAG AND SHALOM SAAR - SEE NCJ-47177)

• NCJ Number: 47191
• Author(s): N CAPLAN
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 9 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REPRINTED FROM INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, V 28, N 1 (1976), UNESCO

Annotation

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH UTILIZATION BY POLICYMAKERS IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DOCUMENTED.

Abstract

FROM OCTOBER 1973 TO MARCH 1974, 204 INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIALS IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, MAJOR AGENCIES, AND COMMISSIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THE OFFICIALS WERE ASKED ABOUT THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY USED RESEARCH FINDINGS AND ABOUT THE NATURE OF THAT USE. SOCIAL STATISTICS, WHICH ACCOUNT FOR ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF ALL SOCIAL SCIENCE DATA INFLUENCING POLICY DECISIONS CONSTITUTE THE MOST FREQUENTLY USED DATA. MOST OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE INFORMATION USED BY POLICYMAKERS RESULTS FROM RESEARCH SPONSORED BY THE USER AGENCY. THERE IS WIDESPREAD USE OF INFORMAL CHANNELS OF INFORMATION (NEWSPAPERS, GOVERNMENT REPORTS, BOOKS, JOURNALS, ETC.) AMONG THE POLICYMAKERS. THE INFORMATION-PROCESSING STYLE OF THE POLICYMAKER (CLINICAL, ACADEMIC, OR ADVOCACY ORIENTATION) APPARENTLY AFFECTS THE AMOUNT AND KINDS OF KNOWLEDGE USED IN ARRIVING AT A POLICY DECISION. SOCIAL SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE IS PUT TO USE IN DIVERSE AREAS BUT IS MOST FREQUENTLY APPLIED IN POLICY DECISIONS RELATED TO ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT. ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT MANY OF THE 575 SELF-REPORTED INSTANCES OF SOCIAL SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE UTILIZATION INVOLVED STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT APPLICATIONS OF POLICY-RELATED SOCIAL SCIENCE. THE FINDINGS ALSO SUGGEST THAT KNOWLEDGE USE IN POLICYMAKING TENDS TO BE INSTRUMENTAL, OR PAROCHIAL, IN NATURE. THE KNOWLEDGE-USE PROCESS APPEARS GENERALLY TO START WITH THE POLICYMAKER AND THEN TO EVOLVE THROUGH A COMBINATION OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONTROLS AND INFORMATION PROCUREMENT PROCEDURES WHICH PROGRESSIVELY DELIMIT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR NEW IDEAS AND RESEARCH FINDINGS ACTUALLY FILTERING THROUGH TO THE DECISIONMAKER. SUPPORTING TABULAR DATA ARE PRESENTED. (LKM)