From Research to Relationships: A Practical Toolkit for Engaging Policymakers
Good evidence does not always speak for itself.
Across GCBC programming, experience shows that whether research informs policy depends as much on relationships, trust, timing, and communication, as it does on the quality of the evidence itself.
The GCBC Theory of Change recognises that policy action rarely follows a linear path from research to uptake; instead, change emerges through ongoing engagement, demonstration, and learning within complex systems where political will and coordination can’t be taken for granted.
The following toolkit brings together grantee reflections on a simple but critical question:
What ways of sharing your work or building relationships have helped to engage policymakers? What made it easier -or harder - for policymakers to use your ideas or evidence?
Drawing on experience across diverse contexts, this toolkit situates policy engagement within both direct and indirect spheres of influence, focusing on intermediate outcomes such as stronger networks, greater salience of evidence, and better positioning of solutions for use.
In doing so, it reflects GCBC’s role as a knowledge and network mobiliser, helping evidence travel from projects into the systems where decisions are made.
