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Building informal knowledge‐sharing relationships between policy makers and academics: Insights from a PM&C engagement project
Author(s) -
Quayle Annette,
Kelly Bernadette
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
australian journal of public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-8500
pISSN - 0313-6647
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8500.12341
Subject(s) - cabinet (room) , public relations , confidentiality , knowledge sharing , government (linguistics) , public policy , process (computing) , business , political science , public administration , sociology , knowledge management , engineering , computer science , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , law , operating system
This article outlines an innovative project to encourage knowledge sharing and engagement between academics and a policy team within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C). The project was designed to enhance policy advice by drawing on a group of academics outside the policy ranks to act as a sounding board, to question, and provide differing perspectives within the policy process of crafting advice to government. External expertise and particularly academic research has the potential to improve evidence‐based policy but often fails to be specific or timely for those at the “pointy end” of policy decision making. An informal knowledge sharing framework has the potential to improve the exchange of information through confidential and targeted conversations between researchers and public servants as one way of overcoming these barriers.