How can a research program influence public policy? Evaluating a decade of research impact using an evidence-based theory of change. Jensen, E., Noles, S., Reed, M., & Lang, P. Environmental Science & Policy, 171:104182, September, 2025. ![How can a research program influence public policy? Evaluating a decade of research impact using an evidence-based theory of change [link]](https://bibbase.org/img/filetypes/link.svg "link")
Paper doi abstract bibtex This study proposes the systematic empirical development of a theory of change for both planning and evaluating research impact on public policy. This use of theory of change is underdeveloped as a retrospective research impact evaluation method, capable of covering long timespans. Here, we assess impact at the level of a UK water research program with a 10-year timeframe. We developed a program-level theory of change from overlapping data sources. This involved integrating inside-out and outside-in perspectives on impact processes through survey, interview and focus group-style participatory workshops to triangulate a model of policy influence. The result was a triangulated theory of change, refined through an iterative process. This method offers an adaptable evaluation framework that can also provide a robust basis for planning future research impacts. The findings underscore the importance of considering multiple perspectives and evidence sources in understanding research impact pathways, contributing to more effective and impactful research strategies in policy domains. The study’s 10-year scope also shows the potential for evidence-based theories of change to explain some of the long-term, complex dynamics that enable research to influence policy.
@article{jensen_how_2025,
title = {How can a research program influence public policy? {Evaluating} a decade of research impact using an evidence-based theory of change},
volume = {171},
issn = {1462-9011},
shorttitle = {How can a research program influence public policy?},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901125001984},
doi = {10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104182},
abstract = {This study proposes the systematic empirical development of a theory of change for both planning and evaluating research impact on public policy. This use of theory of change is underdeveloped as a retrospective research impact evaluation method, capable of covering long timespans. Here, we assess impact at the level of a UK water research program with a 10-year timeframe. We developed a program-level theory of change from overlapping data sources. This involved integrating inside-out and outside-in perspectives on impact processes through survey, interview and focus group-style participatory workshops to triangulate a model of policy influence. The result was a triangulated theory of change, refined through an iterative process. This method offers an adaptable evaluation framework that can also provide a robust basis for planning future research impacts. The findings underscore the importance of considering multiple perspectives and evidence sources in understanding research impact pathways, contributing to more effective and impactful research strategies in policy domains. The study’s 10-year scope also shows the potential for evidence-based theories of change to explain some of the long-term, complex dynamics that enable research to influence policy.},
urldate = {2025-09-10},
journal = {Environmental Science \& Policy},
author = {Jensen, EA and Noles, S. and Reed, MS and Lang, P.},
month = sep,
year = {2025},
keywords = {Recherche originale},
pages = {104182},
file = {ScienceDirect Full Text PDF:/Users/jd/Zotero/storage/C6VNKU7G/Jensen et al. - 2025 - How can a research program influence public policy Evaluating a decade of research impact using an.pdf:application/pdf;ScienceDirect Snapshot:/Users/jd/Zotero/storage/H4KJKKIR/S1462901125001984.html:text/html},
}
Downloads: 0
{"_id":"FumJvYwkG2jF3YHjp","bibbaseid":"jensen-noles-reed-lang-howcanaresearchprograminfluencepublicpolicyevaluatingadecadeofresearchimpactusinganevidencebasedtheoryofchange-2025","author_short":["Jensen, E.","Noles, S.","Reed, M.","Lang, P."],"bibdata":{"bibtype":"article","type":"article","title":"How can a research program influence public policy? Evaluating a decade of research impact using an evidence-based theory of change","volume":"171","issn":"1462-9011","shorttitle":"How can a research program influence public policy?","url":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901125001984","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104182","abstract":"This study proposes the systematic empirical development of a theory of change for both planning and evaluating research impact on public policy. This use of theory of change is underdeveloped as a retrospective research impact evaluation method, capable of covering long timespans. Here, we assess impact at the level of a UK water research program with a 10-year timeframe. We developed a program-level theory of change from overlapping data sources. This involved integrating inside-out and outside-in perspectives on impact processes through survey, interview and focus group-style participatory workshops to triangulate a model of policy influence. The result was a triangulated theory of change, refined through an iterative process. This method offers an adaptable evaluation framework that can also provide a robust basis for planning future research impacts. The findings underscore the importance of considering multiple perspectives and evidence sources in understanding research impact pathways, contributing to more effective and impactful research strategies in policy domains. The study’s 10-year scope also shows the potential for evidence-based theories of change to explain some of the long-term, complex dynamics that enable research to influence policy.","urldate":"2025-09-10","journal":"Environmental Science & Policy","author":[{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Jensen"],"firstnames":["EA"],"suffixes":[]},{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Noles"],"firstnames":["S."],"suffixes":[]},{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Reed"],"firstnames":["MS"],"suffixes":[]},{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Lang"],"firstnames":["P."],"suffixes":[]}],"month":"September","year":"2025","keywords":"Recherche originale","pages":"104182","file":"ScienceDirect Full Text PDF:/Users/jd/Zotero/storage/C6VNKU7G/Jensen et al. - 2025 - How can a research program influence public policy Evaluating a decade of research impact using an.pdf:application/pdf;ScienceDirect Snapshot:/Users/jd/Zotero/storage/H4KJKKIR/S1462901125001984.html:text/html","bibtex":"@article{jensen_how_2025,\n\ttitle = {How can a research program influence public policy? {Evaluating} a decade of research impact using an evidence-based theory of change},\n\tvolume = {171},\n\tissn = {1462-9011},\n\tshorttitle = {How can a research program influence public policy?},\n\turl = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901125001984},\n\tdoi = {10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104182},\n\tabstract = {This study proposes the systematic empirical development of a theory of change for both planning and evaluating research impact on public policy. This use of theory of change is underdeveloped as a retrospective research impact evaluation method, capable of covering long timespans. Here, we assess impact at the level of a UK water research program with a 10-year timeframe. We developed a program-level theory of change from overlapping data sources. This involved integrating inside-out and outside-in perspectives on impact processes through survey, interview and focus group-style participatory workshops to triangulate a model of policy influence. The result was a triangulated theory of change, refined through an iterative process. This method offers an adaptable evaluation framework that can also provide a robust basis for planning future research impacts. The findings underscore the importance of considering multiple perspectives and evidence sources in understanding research impact pathways, contributing to more effective and impactful research strategies in policy domains. The study’s 10-year scope also shows the potential for evidence-based theories of change to explain some of the long-term, complex dynamics that enable research to influence policy.},\n\turldate = {2025-09-10},\n\tjournal = {Environmental Science \\& Policy},\n\tauthor = {Jensen, EA and Noles, S. and Reed, MS and Lang, P.},\n\tmonth = sep,\n\tyear = {2025},\n\tkeywords = {Recherche originale},\n\tpages = {104182},\n\tfile = {ScienceDirect Full Text PDF:/Users/jd/Zotero/storage/C6VNKU7G/Jensen et al. - 2025 - How can a research program influence public policy Evaluating a decade of research impact using an.pdf:application/pdf;ScienceDirect Snapshot:/Users/jd/Zotero/storage/H4KJKKIR/S1462901125001984.html:text/html},\n}\n\n","author_short":["Jensen, E.","Noles, S.","Reed, M.","Lang, P."],"key":"jensen_how_2025","id":"jensen_how_2025","bibbaseid":"jensen-noles-reed-lang-howcanaresearchprograminfluencepublicpolicyevaluatingadecadeofresearchimpactusinganevidencebasedtheoryofchange-2025","role":"author","urls":{"Paper":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901125001984"},"keyword":["Recherche originale"],"metadata":{"authorlinks":{}}},"bibtype":"article","biburl":"https://bibbase.org/network/files/RhHgGdk9ExAg6fTih","dataSources":["2TQpBQm3gWxrhTSpj","AnWoPpuLZCGcKjtrb","DseuH5oGFetS3ecBR","5LpFeRqfJZgzSDycz"],"keywords":["recherche originale"],"search_terms":["research","program","influence","public","policy","evaluating","decade","research","impact","using","evidence","based","theory","change","jensen","noles","reed","lang"],"title":"How can a research program influence public policy? Evaluating a decade of research impact using an evidence-based theory of change","year":2025}