Download Political Influences on Research

Political Influences on Research
ADMN 502a – Assignment One
Jesse Arnup Blondin, Nancy Bray, Nicole Caulfield, Robert Jordan, & Siobhan
Schroeder
ABSTRACT
Research in the public sector is greatly influenced by politics on a number of levels. Most significant is the
fact that research is impacted by political values, which in turn, determine research topics. Political
parties know which research outcomes they prefer. These preferred outcomes are established by
political agendas and consequently, methods used to conduct research are also influenced by agendas.
Of course, it is not surprising that politics comes into play when research funding is allocated. Even the
timing of research and the unveiling of results, can be swayed by elections and popular opinions of
potential voters. Through the evaluation of programs and policies, evaluation research is also affected by
political priorities.
Introduction
Politics has a profound impact on every aspect of research in the public sector. Politics influences the
topics researched primarily through the values of the political party in power. Political parties have
agendas, and often know what results they want from research. Parties either directly or indirectly
influence how research is conducted through funding allocations and timing the release of results,
especially if those results are unfavourable. When evaluating programs, research is directly impacted by
the importance a political party holds the program or policy that is undergoing evaluation. The objective
of this paper is to conduct a literature review, in order to determine how politics influences research.
Methodology
Sources for research for this paper included a review of course materials and related readings as well as
well as an overview of classical social theory and in particular the work of sociologist, Max Weber.
Specific tools that were used to locate research included Google Scholar key word searches to find
additional scholarly journal articles and Google Search Engine searches to find news articles for relevant
media perspectives on issues. Further sources of relevant information and research were identified by
examining bibliographies from journal articles and other additional sources. The Google Scholar "cited
by" tool was also used to find additional related works to the subject matter.
Overall, our group approach to research reflects a consensus on the materials used to support
arguments within the paper. Research was initiated and led by the key writers in the group followed
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by a collaborative feedback approach. All group members had the opportunity to provide input into
research as well as challenge each other’s suggestions for research.
Key Issues and Controversies
Determining Research Topics: Political Values
German sociologist Max Weber argued that while the selection of topics for research will always be
influenced by our values, researchers should strive to be value free in their pursuit of conclusions, by
applying dispassionate objectivity to their work (Weber, 1958). Weber, also draws an interesting
comparison between politicians and researchers, with the former being committed to a particular
outcome and the latter having an obligation to be objective and to accept the findings of their research,
regardless of their initial hypotheses (Weber, 1958).
In the case of the public sector, the political values of the governing party influence the topics
researched, because political agendas and priorities are established by governments in a political forum.
Bureaucrats are then expected to research, develop and implement policies that support the
government in the achievement of their stated priorities, and according to Weber, should do so
objectively. However, priorities and expected policy outcomes are articulated at a political level,
perhaps free of substantive supporting research, and deeply entrenched in political values based upon
personal belief systems (Macionios and Gerber, 2004). As a result, agendas are established with an
inherent limitation on the range of feasible options or alternatives that can be produced through public
sector research (Schwartz, 1990).
In effect, this means that policy research is sometimes limited to that which will produce alternatives
that will achieve predefined outcomes - those established in political agendas. In other words, political
agendas shape the range of possible solutions that can be implemented. In this situation the researcher
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is unable to function in a dispassionate manner, and is instead subjectively interested in the outcome.
An example of policy options being restricted by the political agenda in which they are researched can
be viewed in governments’ limited responses to climate change. Mankiw (2007) and Frank (2006) argue
that the best policy measure to impact climate change is the imposition of a carbon tax, an idea that has
been around for quite some time among economists and policy analysts. However, despite its likely
positive impacts on the environment, politically it may not be a feasible option nationally (Frank, 2006).
The fact that multiple sides of major political issues can cite high quality research to support their
positions demonstrates how political influence impacts the objectivity of the research process (Dooley,
2001). Classic examples of such cases include the lengthy debate over the negative effects of smoking
on health and more recently the ongoing debate on climate change. In Canada, the Liberal government
under Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin built a large base of environmentally driven programs based on
political agendas to reduce emissions, many of which were dismantled shortly after the Conservative
party took power, citing that the programs were not successful and that targets were unattainable (St.
Martin, 2006). Both of these examples display how research can be compiled and presented to
support a political agenda.
Determining Research Topics: Funding
Due to the limited availability of funds for research, departmental budget allocations are a key
mechanism through which politics influence what research is carried out (Bozeman and Loveless, 1987).
Funding is typically aimed towards research projects which are aligned with the priorities of the
government of the day. By selectively funding research topics which support party platforms, political
agendas shape the body of research produced by the public sector.
A concrete example of how politics influences research funding can be found in the academic realm. A
significant amount of research funded by the government is carried out by partners in academia, who
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often receive funding through stringent, peer-adjudicated application programs. However, there is
reason to believe that this branch of public sector research may not be free from some degree of
political influence. A recent study in the United States revealed that the amount of biomedical research
funding received through the National Institutes of Health was linked to the number of representatives
from the institution’s state on the congressional appropriations committee (Hedge & Mowery, 2008).
The authors conclude that while the congressional oversight of this funding is important for ensuring
public-input into decisions regarding government-supported health research, the process may negate
the efforts of the peer-review process. Some critics offer other possible explanations for the trend
(Gitlin, 2008) and caution drawing conclusions from the work; however this study does provide a unique
empirical perspective on the potential link between politics and research, and should serve to promote
dialogue on the issue.
Determining Research Methods: How research is done
Politics also play a role in the timing of how the approved research is carried out. Public servants may be
called upon to conduct research under extremely tight timelines in order to support the politicallydriven announcement of a new government program or priority (McDavid & Huse, 2008). These time
pressures may influence the study design or research process, out of necessity to meet the requested
deadlines. On the other hand, the approval of certain research findings may be delayed indefinitely
when it does not align with government priorities, or may result in conclusions contrary to departmental
messaging.
Determining Research Timelines: When finding are released
Political will may also influence how scientific research findings are disseminated. For example, the
federal government recently came under public and media scrutiny for delaying the release of a climate
change report, whose findings could attract criticism of existing government policies and programs. The
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report was only published after contributing scientists independently made the chapters they had
authored available to the public, and the government faced considerable external pressure (White,
2008). While the undertaking of the actual research was not impacted by politics in this example, there
was significant political influence on the ability of the research findings to be shared, and thus applied.
Evaluation Research
Evaluation research in the public sector is influenced by politics, due to the political nature of the
environment in which the evaluation is being undertaken. Evaluations examine government programs,
which are often the result of political decisions, and these evaluations in turn influence subsequent
political decisions (Shaw, Green & Mark, 2006). Stakeholders, clients and partners may attempt to, and
perhaps succeed, in influencing an evaluation’s scope, methodology or dissemination. Politics may
influence what groups or individuals are consulted as part of the evaluation, or if a comparison group is
used, in order to avoid creating expectations of compensation for certain populations (Bamberger, Rugh
& Mabry, 2006). These issues may prevent the research from being as free from bias as possible. Shaw
et al. suggest that political priorities of the governing party may influence what programs are evaluated,
and that governments may choose only to publicize evaluations which support platform-linked
programs (Shaw et al., 2006).
Conclusion
Politics has a profound impact on every aspect of research in the public sector. Often research outcomes
are predefined and established by political agendas. From the selection of an appropriate model and
framing of research questions, to the sources of funding and selection of methodology, to the analysis
and presentation of findings and policy recommendations, even in the hard sciences, personal and
political biases inevitably come into play. (Rein, 1976). Within the sphere of public sector research
these influences are particularly pronounced and have a significant impact on the policy decisions made
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within public organizations. Researchers and users of public research, must be cognizant of these
impacts and verify results from multiple, reliable sources, when practical.
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References
Bamberger, M., Rugh, J., & Mabry, L. (2006). RealWorld Evaluation: Working Under Budget, Time, Data,
and Political Constraints. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Bozeman, B. & Loveless, S. (1987). Sector Context and Performance A Comparison of Industrial and
Government Research Units. Administration & Society, 19(2), 197-235.
Dooley, D. (2001). Social Research Methods. 4th Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Frank, R. (February 16, 2006) A Way to Cut Fuel Consumption That Everybody Likes, Except the
Politicians. The New York Times, Business Section.
Gitlin, J.M. (2008). New paper suggests politics influence NIH grant distribution. Retrieved January 22,
2009, from Nobel Intent. Official Site:
Website:http://arstechnica.com/journals/science.ars/2008/12/18/new-paper-suggests-politicsinfluence-nih-grant-distribution.
Hedge, D. & Mowery, D. (2008). Politics and Funding in the U.S. Public Biomedical R&D System. Science,
322 (5909), 1797-1798
Macionios, J. and Gerber, L. (2004). Sociology. 4th Ed. Toronto: Pearson Education.
Mankiw, G. (September 16, 2007) “One Answer to Global Warming: A New Tax” The New York Times,
Business Section.
McDavid, J. C. and Huse, I. (2008). Policy Evaluation Guide for the B.C. Government. School of Public
Administration, University of Victoria.
Rein, M. (1976). Social Science and Public Policy. New York: Penguin
Schwartz, M. (1990). A Sociological Perspective on Politics. New Jersey: Prentice Hall
Shaw, I., Greene, J., & Mark, M. (2006). Handbook of Evaluation: Policies, Programs and Practices.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
St. Martin, R. (2006). The Made-in-Canada Climate Change Mystery. Retrieved January 23, 2009 from
Website:http://www.politicswatch.com/climate-july24-2006.htm.
Weber, M. “Science as Vocation.” In H.H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills, From Maw Weber: Essays in
Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1958:129-56: orig. 1918.
White, M. (2008, August 20). Bloggers post Health Canada climate change report on the web. Canwest
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