'What is the value of history in policy-making' report published
The Institute for Government had published What is the value of history in policymaking? report in collaboration with the AHRC, which outlines ways in which historical perspectives and inter-cultural understanding can support and benefit policymaking on 23 January in the UK.
The report has come out of four round table discussions relating to ‘Making History Work’, organised by the AHRC’s Care for the Future: Thinking Forward Through the Past and Translating Cultures research themes as well as the Institute for Government.
In recent years, the use of evidence such as statistics, social studies, modelling or economics in policy making has become of increasing importance. The 2010 Coalition Government created ‘What Works’ evidence centres, an initiative to open up the policy process to new ways of thinking and doing policy. Within the field of government policy, there are several officials and ministers who come from an arts and humanities background. However the use of historical research is not as systematic as that of other types of evidence. An opportunity to widen the frame of reference of policy making is being missed.
The two major AHRC themes are directly relevant to this research: Care for the Future specifically looks at new understandings of the relationship between the past and the future, including the ways in which history can inform policy. By thinking critically about how we amass information and apply it to the world around us, we are in effect re-thinking what we mean by history so that policy makers can make use of the experiences of the past in a more effective and open way. Translating Cultures considers how our understanding of other countries and the historical development of their cultures and interactions with the UK can make a critical contribution to current foreign and humanitarian policy and integration and immigration policy, two of the policy fields which were explored in the meetings.
The four Making History Work roundtables explored ideas around overseas policy, social cohesion policy, and fiscal and economic policy. Some of the seminars also looked at aspects of linguistics and intercultural learning and knowledge as these relate to disciplines within the humanities and to the ‘impact’ agenda of academic engagement more generally.
The report makes a number of recommendations for government as well as for universities and funding bodies about improving the relationship between academics, researchers and practitioners in government roles.
Professor Andrew Thompson, Theme Leadership Fellow for Care for The Future says: “This report has come at an important time for the UK in terms of the political, economic and social changes that have taken place and others that may follow. Shedding a light on the work that many professionals within the arts and humanities undertake and actively using it to contribute towards public policy is therefore of immense value.”
Source: Arts and Humanities Research Council
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