Crystal Hall and Co-authors Publish in Behavioral Science & Policy on How Academics and Policymakers Can Collaborate Effectively
Posted: 8/22/2024 (CSDE Research)
CSDE Affiliate Crystal Hall and co-authors published the research article, “How academics and policymakers can collaborate effectively: Lessons from using behavioral science to improve U.S. federal government policies,” in Behavioral Science & Policy published by Sage Journals. Various public programs and services are administered by the U.S. government. Creating these programs requires an understanding of the psychological processes that influence behavior. The authors of this article state that, “policymakers may collaborate with academics who have expertise in behavioral science to generate ideas for improving existing programs, procedures, or policies; to test existing programs; or to design wholly new programs that address societal problems. Such collaborations also enable academics to test new or established theories in real-world settings.” In this article, the authors draw on their collective experience in the U.S. Office of Evaluation Sciences where they studied federal programs to outline the core issues that make research collaborations between academics and policymakers challenging. They also offer advice on how to make these partnerships productive and beneficial.