According to a new paper, social scientists with Ph.D.s are favored by policy makers interested in creating more centralized government - a PhD in academia enhances their chances of being contacted by government officials. As a results, they are more likely to have climbed the career ladder and progressed into leadership roles.
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC, an academic advocacy group, commissioned the analysis and it was carried out over an eight-month period from October 2011 by Mariell Juhlin, Policy Impact Ltd, and team members Dr Puay Tang, University of Sussex, and Professor Jordi Molas-Gallart, INGENIO.
The study aimed to identify and evaluate the extent of contributions to policymaking made by social scientists working within the Government Economic Service and Government Social Research Service. In particular, it looked closely at the differences in the contributions of people with Ph.D.s and those without, and also at the factors and processes that could enhance or lessen contributions to decision-making.
13 percent of the social scientists who took part in the study held Ph.D.s, compared with 66 percent who held masters degrees and 21 percent who held Bachelor degrees. Yet percent of respondents with Ph.D.s occupied the senior positions, compared with 49 percent of those with Masters degrees and 19 percent of those Bachelor degrees.
The contribution of social scientists with PhDs was widespread, just not readily visible in policies. A senior social scientist working in the Intellectual Property Office played a leading role in the drafting of the Hargreaves Review, another government experiment to try and drive economic growth and innovation that is now being implemented by government.
Employers, policy clients and social scientists recognize the value of research methodologies and employers commented that social scientists require an ability to grasp what is needed, deliver pragmatic solutions, and avoid over-emphasis on fine detail to make a difference in a policy setting.
Although a PhD is not a requirement for recruitment to government economic and social research services, PhD holders have an advantage in some skills that are highly valued by employers, such as project management. There was a condition, however, that employees with Ph.D.s should have softer skills, such as being good communicators and networkers to maximize their policy contributions.
Writing reports and briefing notes was undertaken by all groups of social scientists, but the involvement of those with PhDs was found to be more intense. They also undertook other activities, such as project management, research procurement and advisory roles. Many considered that their formal PhD training helps them with the uptake of new methods, evidence from academia and other organizations' research findings.
Social scientists saw themselves as contributing to policymaking at all stages of the policy cycle. But location does make a difference: people working in policy units were more frequently involved in clarifying objectives and the design and implementation of policy, than those working in analysis units.
When policymakers and social scientists worked alongside each other, this was regarded as an important factor in developing trust and collaboration. It was also thought to provide social scientists with a better awareness of the context of policymaking, and to optimize the relevance and timing of their input.