Brokering knowledge, brokering relationships: Improving research-practice collaboration in support of public sector reform

This report, produced by ANZSOG and the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, explores how knowledge brokering works to cross institutional boundaries to connect research and practice and promote new approaches to evidence production and use.

Brokering knowledge, brokering relationships: Improving research-practice collaboration in support of public sector reform, was written by Dr Honae Cuffe, Professor Ariadne Vromen and Dr Patrick Brownlee, and looks at the wide-ranging work of knowledge brokers and their potential to support programs of public sector reform in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. A key feature of current public sector reform is ensuring public servants have access to evidence and program evaluations for the provision of high-quality advice and better outcomes, and have the capability to use evidence and work in partnership with other sectors.

Knowledge brokering works to close the gap between research and practice by connecting researchers with government to drive the translation, transfer, and mobilisation of research evidence into practice. Knowledge brokers are the organisations, groups and individual interlocutors who work across institutional boundaries to perform this work.

Knowledge brokering work is wide-ranging, and includes:

• Finding, assessing and translating research into more accessible, implementation-focused outputs;
• Providing learning that targets improved cross-sectorial acumen; and
• Convening and facilitating interaction between researchers and policymakers.

This report explores how knowledge brokers establish research-practice collaborations and opportunities to enhance public sector reform in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.  It includes a review of the international literature and analysis of 24 interviews with individuals from government, universities and intermediary organisations who are engaged in knowledge brokering activities. Interviewees reflected on their experiences managing research-practice relationships and the relative benefits and effectiveness of different approaches.

It provides advice on how a range of mechanisms and good practice principles can be implemented to help establish better research-practice collaborations.