From the archive: Why policymakers don’t listen

The roadblocks to policy impact and how to overcome them

A change in policy is the holy grail of impact and represents the public benefit that many researchers dedicate their lives to achieving. But as researchers from areas including climate science and mental health will tell you, achieving policy change is exceptionally difficult.

Nonetheless, public policy guru Paul Cairney says that researchers can use insights from psychology and policy theory to give themselves the best chance of success in the corridors of power. In this article, co-written with Phil Ward and first published in July 2018, he relates how.