PERii: Evidence Informed Policy Making

Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information

As part of the Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERii) the Evidence-informed policy making component aims to build the capacity of policy makers to make use of research information.

Science in parliaments project
One of the key roles of a parliament is to carry out evidence-informed scrutiny of the government. Members of parliament (MPs) are required to handle technical issues  and to keep track of technological developments. While few  have a scientific background, they are constantly bombarded with information and demands which assume some scientific understanding. Many MPs rely on parliamentary staff to provide impartial information and analysis on a range of issues. These staff have a key role to play as "middlemen" between MPs and scientists/researchers. However, many parliaments in developing countries lack staff with training in science and technology.

Since early 2009, INASP, in partnership with the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), has been working to help African parliaments strengthen their capacity to deal with science and technology (S&T) issues. POST is an internal office of the UK's Houses of Parliament which has been providing advice and support to UK parliamentarians for over 20 years. The INASP/POST partnership aims to sustain and develop activities initiated by POST in the Parliament of Uganda and to pilot activities in collaboration with other African parliaments.

Collaboration with the Parliament of Uganda
The POST Africa project  began in 2007 and is funded by the Gatsby charitable foundation. The aim of this project is to strengthen the capacity of the Parliament of Uganda to handle policy issues relating to S&T. Activities have included:

  • an MP-scientist pairing scheme to build links between MPs and scientists
  • staff training activities to improve the quality of science information available to MPs
  • a baseline study to deepen understanding of how science and technology are currently dealt with in parliament

The work has been carried out in close partnership with the Ugandan National Academy of Science (UNAS). In June 2009, with funding from the POST Africa project, UNAS recruited a new member of staff to act as a Parliamentary Liaison Officer. He will be responsible for continuing the capacity building activities started in 2007 and initiating new schemes.

Information Literacy for Parliaments
In order for a parliament to scrutinise government on issues of S&T, MPs and parliamentary staff need to access and make use of research information however, there are many factors which prevent people from doing so. These include technological barriers,  skills gaps and knowledge gaps.  INASP is running training courses in information literacy for parliamentary staff to address some of these factors. The courses use a ‘training of trainers' approach so that the knowledge can be disseminated to other staff and to MPs.

Other capacity building activities
We support various other activities which contribute to the following aims:

  • Increasing awareness of S&T issues amongst members and staff
  • Improving the capacity of parliamentary staff to provide balanced, comprehensive and timely information on policy relevant issues in S&T to MPs
  • Strengthening the capacity of parliamentary committees to use S&T information in the scrutiny of policy
  • Learning about the capacity needs of parliaments

For example, we have worked with the African Union Science, Technical and Research Commission to help them develop their strategy to support evidence-informed policy making in parliaments and we are supporting a research project in Tanzania on Internet Access and Use amongst Members of Parliament.

Working with civil society organisations
INASP recognises that civil society organisations (CSOs) have a crucial role to play in informing, scrutinising and lobbying policy makers on issues related to S&T. To fulfil this role effectively they also need to access and make use of research information. INASP is currently investigating how it could support the information needs of CSOs

Documents

PERii Brochure (Document 439kb)

Events

For a full list of events, see the events calendar. For featured events, see the events page or use the links below.

Science, Parliaments and Africa Seminar
UK - November 2009

Finding and Using Scientific Information: Training of Trainers workshop for Parliamentary staff
Kenya - August 2009