Impacting policy thinking through partnership: insights from Northern Ireland

In the summer of 2019, the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy (DfE) contacted the leaders of the Productivity Insights Network (PIN) to explore opportunities to connect on the topic of productivity, which was central to its existing Industrial Strategy. DfE sought an infusion of new ideas and perspectives on its productivity puzzle while, for its part, PIN was interested in expanding its research more formally into devolved regions. This interaction resulted in a joint workshop as well as a joint project to apply a systems approach that PIN was exploring to an analysis of the Economy 2030 Industrial Strategy. Over the next six months, researchers from PIN and DfE worked together to develop and apply an experimental methodology to policy analysis that resulted in a final report, several public presentations, and an academic publication (pending). While the results of the project were not insignificant, the most valuable contributions of this partnership were long-term and difficult to measure or predict. For DfE, these were principally related to incorporating different ways of thinking and gathering evidence in their policy making process as well as solidifying an enduring partnership with PIN and related organisations (such as the Productivity Institute). This chapter outlines how and why this partnership evolved as well as some key insights relevant to do innovative and experimental policy research with the public sector.