What role does (or should) higher education research play in policy development?

This research project will explore the role that higher education plays in reflecting on and theoretically and practically contributing to higher education policy. Through policy analysis and in-depth interviewing (with higher education research commissioners, higher education researchers, and higher education policy makers), the research will address the following questions: where does higher education policy (and policy makers) draw legitimacy from;
what evidence informs and shapes policy; is this evidence based on policy evaluation, academic research, commissioned research or industry/professional reports; what institutions and actors inform and shape policy; and does evidence used, institutions mobilised and actors engaged privilege certain powerful interests. The findings will inform recommendations to help higher education researchers ensure that that research has impact on higher education policy and its development.