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10 - Using evidence: how social research could be better used to improve public service performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2011

By
Huw Davies ,
Sandra Nutley  and
Isabel Walter
Edited by
Kieran Walshe ,
Gill Harvey  and
Pauline Jas
Huw Davies
Affiliation:
Universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews
Sandra Nutley
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
Isabel Walter
Affiliation:
University of St Andrews
Kieran Walshe
Affiliation:
Manchester University
Gill Harvey
Affiliation:
Manchester University
Pauline Jas
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham
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Summary

Introduction

Public service organisations are preoccupied with understanding how good performance can be achieved: what matters is what works. But delivering high-quality services requires a far wider array of evidence than just that on effectiveness – we need, for example, knowledge about the scale, source and structuring of social problems; practical ‘know-how’ to support effective programme implementation in local contexts; and insights into the relationships between values and policy directions.

Research can make an important contribution to the development of public services and policy programmes, and it can enrich debates about the nature of social problems and what works in addressing them. However, such positive research impacts are far from routine, and the impact of research is not always positive. Negative impacts may, for example, arise in situations where tentative or highly specific findings are seized upon too readily or applied too widely.

Despite this, the overzealous use of research is not normally considered to be the main problem. Quite the opposite; researchers and others are often disappointed that clear findings are overlooked or ignored when decisions are made about the direction and delivery of services. This view is supported by many studies that have found that practice often lags behind the best available evidence about what works and that it may remain out of step for quite some time.

Type
Chapter
Information
Connecting Knowledge and Performance in Public Services
From Knowing to Doing
 , pp. 199 - 225
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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References

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