1. Personal interaction and building relationships are often more effective than evidence alone in influencing decision makers. 2. Using intermediaries like staff, secretaries, and influential contacts can help get your message heard. Developing networks of people is important. 3. The media can help bring issues to politicians' attention and legitimize research, but managing media relations carefully is important.

1. Six Degrees of Separation:
Using network thinking to influence
decision-making
Presentation for
Policy-Communication
Nexus training

2. Presentation/Session Overview
The purpose of this session is to get us to step
outside our normative and rational thinking to
look at how we can spread our ideas to
influence people and processes.
Contents
 Quick Game
 How do we influence decisions
 Examples of how to influence and use networks
 Questions and discussion

3. My Experience
Work in Laos and Asia region
on policy advocacy,
development and
communication
 Development: Cambodia CF Sub-
decree. designed policy program
on upland development, policy
platforms on Land issues
 Research Communication: use of
video/Media , workshops, policy
briefs, study tours to influence
policy development
 Play a lot of golf! Small countries
where trust and knowing who
knows who is important

4. The rational/linear Model of policy
development

5. Interesting conclusions from a policy
communication in Health Survey
Evidence plays a relatively modest role in policy
making, which is dominated by political expediency.
Policy makers tend to use stories rather than ‘hard’ evidence
as they are easy to understand and effective.
Decision makers tend to focus on communication as a way of
getting a message across rather than as a participatory
development process.
Personal interaction remains the most effective means of
communicating with policy makers.
Communication strategies should build on existing networks
and communities of interest.
http://www.healthlink.org.uk/we-do/comms_icd.html

6. 1885 Edward J. Claghorn of
New York, New York granted
U.S. Patent 312,085, for an
automobile safety belt.
1959 US Congress passes
legislation requiring all
automobiles to comply with
safety standards including
seat belts.
1970 State of Victoria,
Australia, passes first law
worldwide making seat belt
wearing compulsory for
drivers and front-seat
passengers.

7. Evidence based policies!

8. How do we influence decisions?
How do we get ideas to go viral?
epidemiology
When
R
the infection will die out in the long run (provided infection rates are constant).
But if
R
the infection will be able to spread in a population.

9. If policy is not rational then how is it
developed?
Different ways of looking at policy change including:
 interactions between different groups with differing
political interests
 Actor-oriented approaches: such as, policy communities
and networks, interfaces, actor-network, epistemic
communities, entrepreneurs/saboteurs
 Discourse, which is an ensemble of ideas communicated
through practices via coalitions, narratives, or rhetoric
 External drivers: economics, investment, climate variability

10. Seven Meanings of ‘Use’
1. Knowledge-driven: application of basic research; provides an opportunity for
policy-relevant research which can then be applied;
2. Problem-solving: communication of research on an agreed upon problem to the
policy maker; this model implies that there is consensus between the researchers
and the policy makers on the solution or endstate;
3. Enlightenment: education of the policy maker; that with time the accumulation of
research will influence policy by educating the policy maker;
4. Political: rationalization for previously arrived at decision; used by policy makers to
bolster support or provide ammunition for opposition;
5. Tactical: requesting additional information to delay action; often used by
government agencies or other organizations/institutions as a response to a
problem or issue;
6. Interactive: competing information sources; this implies that policy makers are
actively searching for policy-relevant information that is not based on social science
research;
7. Intellectual enterprise: policy research is just one type of many intellectual
pursuits.
From Weiss, 1977

11. Social Network Analysis
Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a
diagnostic method for collecting
and analyzing data about the
patterns of relationships among
people in groups.
It helps to:
 Understand the flow of knowledge,
information and Innovation
 Understand where there are
potential nodes of influence and
dissemination area
 Target opportunities where
increased knowledge flow will
have the most impact
Helps us find ways to get our
ideas accepted or used by
influence makers

12. Communication is not linear
Successful farmer is in an important
position between the two clans, and a
Strategy of linking in to reasonably important source of problem
the central nodes of both solving.
subgroups, thereby
enhancing access to
problem solving
resources.
Accessing external
resources

13. The tipping point for creating a
revolution is 10%!

15. Examples of non-conventional ways
to influence/reach decision makers

16. Use of intermediaries
• Engage with secretaries, staff of
policy-makers, those who write
speeches
• Not just your facts and figures,
not just your story but who
communicates it: Look for
influential people to
communicate your findings
• Develop and sustain networks -
don’t rely on one person

17. Use of media
Media can grab attention of Politicians – concerned about
reputation
Legitimizes research
Can act as a reference and provide balance information
Relations with media need to be carefully managed and
developed – building trust

18. Using your own network influence
We all have our own
networks:
 Friends who work for
government
 Wives, family member of those
you are trying to influence are
good ways to spread ideas

19. Build networks & get involved
Build social capital, trust and respect.
 Develop networks with key actors who have similar
interests
 Get involved in policy commissions, networks which are
working on policy or working on policy advocacy
 Involve policy makers in policy experiments.
 Ensure research is building upon policy interests and
needs of policymakers – solving their problems and issues

20. Communicating effectively
Surveys on policy makers have
found that the form (how
presented) is just as important
as message and results
 Anecdotes and stories are
powerful way to transform data
 Look for the right people to get
your message or story across
 Seeing is believing- study tours
are important

21. Discussion
What are some ways for influencing or reaching
decision makers in African Context?
What drives decision making processes in Africa?
 Outside influences
 Internal politics
 Self interest/clan/ethnic interests
 Civil society
 Research