Strategy and Tactics: Utilization of Research in Three Policy Sector Contexts

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Abstract
Studies of research utilization have not taken up Janet Weiss's challenge: to make local research utilization policies understandable in institutional contexts. This article presents research from three different policy sectors: the social services; building and planning; and the working life area. The results of the studies are presented as typical patterns of utilization. The purpose of the article is to analyze utilization strategies, long-term adaptation patterns, and tactics, short-term adaptation patterns in relation to institutional differences between the policy sectors. Several addenda to the original framework suggested by Janet Weiss are presented. The authors conclude that the degree of institutionalization and professionalization of policy sectors explain the variations in local research utilization patterns, the most important of which is the distinction between agencies that use research as a means to control the environment, and agencies that use it for internal governance and expertise formation.

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