Knowledge Brokerage and Influencing Policy: An Interview with Jonathan Breckon
In recent years, knowledge brokerage has become an increasingly important tool for influencing policy, connecting researchers and policy makers to create meaningful change. To explore this topic in more depth, Overton spoke to Jonathan Breckon, the founder and director of the Knowledge Brokers Network.
Breckon began by explaining the importance of knowledge brokerage. “We need to bridge the gap between research and policy,” he said. “Knowledge brokerage is the practice of connecting research and policy in order to ensure that evidence-based decisions are made.” By connecting researchers and policy makers, knowledge brokers can help to ensure that research is seen and used to inform the policy process.
Breckon went on to discuss the challenges of knowledge brokerage, particularly when it comes to large-scale policy changes. “We need to be able to identify and communicate the most relevant evidence to inform policy,” he said. “This can be difficult, especially when there is a lot of evidence to consider.” He emphasized the importance of being able to identify the most important evidence and communicate it in a way that is accessible to policy makers.
Breckon also highlighted the potential of technology and data to streamline the research-policy interface. “We need to be able to use technology to automate the process of knowledge brokerage,” he said. “We can use data to identify the most relevant evidence and then use technology to communicate this evidence to policy makers.” He noted that this could help to speed up the process of knowledge brokerage and make it more efficient.
Finally, Breckon discussed the importance of connecting with other knowledge brokers in order to share best practices. “We need to be able to learn from each other’s experiences and share our knowledge,” he said. “This is the only way to ensure that we are making the most of our knowledge brokerage efforts.” He encouraged knowledge brokers to reach out to each other and share their experiences.
In conclusion, knowledge brokerage is an important tool for influencing policy. Through knowledge brokers, researchers and policy makers can connect to ensure that evidence-based decisions are made. Technology and data can also be used to streamline the research-policy interface and make knowledge brokerage more efficient. Finally, it is important for knowledge brokers to connect with each other to share best practices and ensure that the most effective knowledge brokerage efforts are being used.
