PHASE 1 concluding: Covid-19 has been the most dominant global force for at least the past nine months. Since the beginning, INGSA volunteers across the globe have generously dedicated time and expertise to documenting the use of evidence in policy decisions in over 100 countries and subnational jurisdictions. This early tracker work was instrumental in informing the report of our initial observations on the pathways from evidence to policy during the global pandemic.
PHASE 2 launch: Now, as we approach the end of an unprecedented year, INGSA is implementing a new phase in our work. The emphasis will no longer be on regularly updating the Tracker database, though any rapporteur wishing to continue their recording activities is most welcome to do so.
From December 2020, the INGSA Secretariat will administer short three-monthly surveys, intended to capture any changes in evidence-to-policy pathways and evidence-informed policy learning during subsequent phases of the pandemic.
We note that the Tracker work to date has also enable INGSA to partner with NSF-funded experts to develop a series of Science Advice case studies, with a number of INGSA rapporteurs now involved in this project also.
Using and building from the database: The Evidence-to-Policy Tracker is now an invaluable tool for the study of policy dynamics. We are in the process of overhauling the collected data to align with the taxonomies of other policy trackers in order to improve the usability of the database for subsequent research.
In addition, the INGSA secretariat has been chosen to host two research students during the Southern Hemisphere summer. Their projects will expand on findings of the Preliminary Report and further explore the database through its new taxonomy.
Anyone wanting to conduct their own research using the INGSA Evidence-to-Policy tracker can request a full copy of the database from Dr Andrew Chen at the University of Auckland (andrew.chen@auckland.ac.nz)