Constraints and Possibilities in Promoting Public Policy Research

1. Constraints and Possibilitiesin Promoting Public Policy Research Cheng Yin Cheong Hong Kong Institute of Education Seminar on Public Policy Research Organized by CPU & RGC 6 Nov. 2009

2. 3 Major Questions • Demands: Are there any genuine contextual demands for public policy research (PPR)? If not, Why? • Interface: Is there any effective interface between the policy sector and the research sector to promote PPR? If not, how to enhance? • Capacity: Do we have the strong capacity for PPR in HE institutions? If not, how to build up?

3. 1. Contextual Demands Issues: • Ignored Demands: Numerous policy concerns and initiatives but unfortunately the demands for rigorous public policy research are ignored • Uninformed Debates: The public culture in policy debates is mainly characterized by opinions instead of research-based evidence. • Suggested Actions: • The Policy Sector (CPU, Bureaux, Political Parties, etc) & the Research Sector (Faculties, Research Institutes, etc.) work together to reconfirm the importance and necessity of PPR for every policy initiative and translate it into actions in the public policy debate and formulation

4. 2. Interface Facilitation Issues: • Missing Linkages:Lack of any platform or channel (1) to build up sustainable linkages between policy initiatives and research initiatives and (2) to facilitate their sustainable collaborations; • Discouraging Restrictionsof Government commissioned projects on designing the research, releasing the data and publishing the findings or reports for wide public/academic consumption; • Suggested Actions: CPU, RGC & representatives of HE institutionsdevelop a common platform and the necessary protocol: • to improve the interface between the policy and research sectors; • to release the rigid restrictions of research findings and data for public/academic consumption

5. 3. Policy Research Capacity (I) Issues: • Limited Critical Massin specific policy areas due tothe small scale of HE system in Hong Kong. Difficult to form research teams with multi-disciplinary expertise to investigate the complexity of public policies • Mainly 1st Order Research on issues of single domain, short time frame, cross-sectional design, evaluation type in narrowed scope. Difficult to generate any significant policy implications • Serious Intra-Competition in the UGC environment becomes a hindrance in creating the collaborative culture as well as critical mass of expertise for public policy research across institutions • Limited Relevanceof ongoing RGC/UGC funded research projects and research performance assessment initiatives (say, RAE) to policy impact and development in Hong Kong.

6. 3. Policy Research Capacity (II) • Suggested Actions: UGC’s HE Review addresses the existing limitations of a small-scale HE system with new initiatives: • To encourage and develop critical mass of expertise within and across the UGC institutions particularly for PPR and theme-based research; Establish collaborative research clusters. • To reduce the intra-competition but provide more incentives to foster collaboration; • To enhance the relevance of the RGC/UGC funded research projects and research performance assessment initiatives (say, RAE) to policy impact and development Research Sector/ HE Institutions/RGC with the support of CPU give priority to the longitudinal & multi-disciplinary research with large impact on policy and HK community