Content

Capacity, Collaboration and Culture: The Future of the Policy Research Function in the Government of Canada

Research Paper

March 2009

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Executive Summary

1 Introduction

2 The Case for Evidence-based Policy

• 2.1 The Blurring Boundaries between Policy Research and Analysis

3 Policy Research in the Federal Government

• 3.1 The Policy Research Process
• 3.2 The People Issues

4 Forces Changing the Policy Research Function

• 4.1 Global Change Forces
• 4.2 Key Change Drivers for the Policy Research Function
• 4.3 The Capacity, Collaboration and Culture Questions

5 Scenarios

• 5.1 Two Key Uncertainties
• 5.2 Four Scenarios
• 5.3 Silos Continued
• 5.4 Outsourced World
• 5.5 Network Enabled Co-Production
• 5.6 Policy Research Redefined

6 Implications

• 6.1 Implications For Renewal
• 6.2 Competencies of Researchers

7 Directions and Provisional Conclusions

Appendix A: The Policy Research Process

Appendix B: Knowledge Dissemination in Support of Policy Research

References

Notes

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank members of the Policy Research Data Group for their comments and suggestions in writing this report. We acknowledge the written contributions by François Faucher and Jai Persaud, Natural Resources Canada (Appendix B) and André Downs, Policy Research Initiative (Appendix A). Thank you to the participants of scenario session including Martha Justus, André Downs, Primal Silva, Thomas Townsend, Peter Padbury, Cliff Halliwell, Charles D Mallory, Francois Faucher and Bob Kunimoto. And thanks to the departments and participants who took the time to complete the two surveys.

As part of a series, this paper was prepared in the context of the ongoing dialogue on Public Service Renewal and is intended to encourage discussion and debate about the challenges facing the Public Service. This paper reflects the views of the authors and is not necessarily representative of the views of the Policy Research Initiative, the Government of Canada or specific departments or agencies.