Strategies for influencing the political dynamics of decision-making (Project A3.3)

Overview

This project develops capacity in the CRCWSC to better influence opinion formation and policy making to facilitate progress towards water sensitive cities. Specifically this project aims to:

1. Understand attitudes and behaviour of senior decision makers (politicians, bureaucrats, water authority executives) to connect science and expert advice to policy and decision-making.
2. Assess current approaches to difficult policy problems by engaging with policy makers, experts and stakeholders (practitioners, industry bodies/interests, and community representatives.
3. Generate models for evidence based decision-making attuned to the differing roles of key decision leaders in policy analysis and test the models for effectiveness.

Key outcomes

Outputs of this project will guide the CRCWSC on how to influence the political dynamics of decision-making and policy initiatives. These outputs will include training manuals to assist scientists and practitioners to communicate their findings to decision makers, and recommended governance structures effectively linking policy making with expert advice.

The outcomes will build scientists’ and practitioners’ capacities to communicate their findings related to water sensitive cities and to influence policy making; generate decisions that are better informed and linked with science; and promote community engagement that will build long term support for change.

Researchers have worked with industry stakeholders to design and test capacity-building approaches for influencing policy such as interactive workshops, panels and training sessions.

Case studies are being compiled based on interviews with policy advisors and decision makers. Queensland and Western Australian case studies will be integrated in the Science-Policy Manual currently in production, while a separate case study on the Victorian experience will be published later in 2016.