The Institute for Public Policy and Governance, Institute for Sustainable Futures, and the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion have joined with Apolitical to create an interactive boot camp on translating evidence to policy for public servants in Australia.
In an increasingly digital and data-rich world, it’s more important than ever for public servants to know how to effectively identify, use and present data and evidence as part of the policymaking process.
Evidence boot camp for public servants
The course on offer is a free 5-week evidence boot camp for public servants. Users will receive bite-sized training programs taking around ten minutes per week featuring videos, quizzes, case studies and hands-on challenges.
The course incorporates case studies from people working in government on how public servants can and should use evidence, along with resource lists, quizzes and practical exercises for further learning.
Expected learning outcomes will cover the different types of evidence that can be used use in policymaking, what good (and bad) evidence looks like — and how to tell the difference. It will also cover translating data into evidence to tell a compelling story, and how to design and apply experimental approaches in policymaking.
Solving critical global challenges, collectively
Named one of Fast Company's most innovative companies in 2018, Apolitical is set up as a social network for public servants. Its peer-to-peer learning platform for government aims to bolster and hone critical skills, based on the belief that government is critical to solving global challenges.
"Apolitical connects public servants and policymakers in different contexts to advance collaboration and idea sharing around some of the world’s most pressing issues, from the refugee crisis to climate change … The idea behind the platform is to help public servants break out of the silos that often keep them entrenched in policies that no longer work, and look instead to governments spearheading programs they’d like to emulate.” - Fast Company
Apolitical partners with governments, foundations, universities and NGOs around the world to identify and share policy best practice, bringing together leading experts in their fields, from both inside and outside the public service.
Australia is the fourth most well-represented country in the network, after the US, the UK & Canada.
Transforming societies
‘Universities have a critical role to play in social transformation – engaging with government, working alongside them to increase their capacity to make systemic change - it is really worthwhile. For the university, engaging this way also increases the profile of UTS among policymakers more broadly’ says Verity Firth, Executive Director, Social Justice at UTS.
According to Apolitical, Government plays a critical role in solving the hardest challenges — from the climate and refugee crises to the strain of urbanisation, the need for better cyber security, and the urgency of adapting to a changes in technology.
Apolitical’s aim in linking with universities like Oxford University, Cambridge University and now UTS is to bring to government ongoing learning and making it inspiring and easy to find the latest and best ideas and skills, grounded in the experience research.
One-day workshop: A crash course in how to use evidence in policymaking – a crash course
In addition to the 5-week boot camp, a one-day workshop, How to Use Evidence in Policymaking – A Crash Course (available for free for both Apolitical members and non-members), will be held on Thursday 23 July.
The workshop will be hosted by Verity Firth (UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion) and Carol Mills (UTS Institute for Public Policy and Governance).