Using Policy Labs as a process to bring evidence closer to public policymaking: a guide to one approach

This article describes a policy engagement approach called 'Policy Labs' to facilitate research evidence uptake into policy and practice. Drawing from experience running 15 Policy Labs, the authors provide a guide to their methodology and demonstrate how these labs contribute to bridging the evidence-to-policy gap. Policy Labs are shown to foster open conversations, create collaborations between academics and policymakers, synthesize evidence accessibly, and provide timely evidence access. The authors acknowledge limitations in measuring long-term policy change but emphasize Policy Labs as a process for building trust, translating evidence, and improving timing for policy action.

Saba Hinrichs-Krapels, Jocelyn Bailey, Harriet Boulding, Bobby Duffy, Rachel Hesketh, Emma Kinloch, Alexandra Pollitt, Sarah Rawlings, Armida van Rij, Benedict Wilkinson, Ross Pow, Jonathan Grant