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Will Policy Makers Hear My Disability Experience? How Participatory Research Contributes to Managing Interest Conflict in Policy Implementation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2010

Karen R. Fisher  and
Sally Robinson
Karen R. Fisher
Affiliation:
Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, SydneyNSW 2052, Australia E-mail: Karen.fisher@unsw.edu.au
Sally Robinson
Affiliation:
Disability Studies and Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia E-mail: robinsonsally@bigpond.com
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Abstract

Participatory evaluation gives primacy to the experience of people affected by the policy. How realistic is it for researchers to persuade government of its benefits, given the gap between participatory policy theory and government evaluation practice? We apply this question to the Resident Support Program evaluation. The program coordinates support for people living in boarding houses and hostels in Queensland, Australia. We found that a participatory, longitudinal, formative evaluation process facilitated service user contribution to research outcomes, service experiences and policy implementation. In addition, the values position of participatory research can contribute to managing interest conflict in policy implementation.

Type
Articles
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , April 2010 , pp. 207 - 220
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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