Researchers often encounter unique challenges that shape how their work is conducted and published. For those in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) one significant hurdle is finding open resources. Moreover, the options for openly publishing their research are limited. Open Research Europe addresses these issues by providing a platform for HSS researchers to publish their European Commission-funded results, either as standalone works or within a Gateway.
In this interview, Prof. Paul Cairney, Gateway Advisor of the Political Science Community Gateway on Open Research Europe, shares his insights into the Community Gateway and the potential of platforms like Open Research Europe in expanding opportunities for HSS researchers.
Please describe your specific area of research and how it relates to the Political Science Community Gateway
I am a Professor of Politics and Public Policy. I examine issues such as evidence-informed policymaking, collaborative policymaking, and policy processes relating to the pursuit of equity (in fields such as health and education). In each case there is a clear link between politics and policy, such as when political dynamics and ideology determine the feasibility or preference for some policies over others. Researchers are often disheartened at the lack of ‘political will’ to address disappointing policy progress, or different political systems produce distinctive ‘policy styles’.
Our broad focus on politics and policymaking allows for a range of studies within this Community Gateway. For example, many current Horizon projects focus on topics such as forms of democracy (e.g. representative, participatory, deliberative), trust in public policy and policymaking organisations, and the policy implications of new research from multiple disciplines. I have also used Open Research Europe to publish qualitative Systematic Reviews that identify gaps between what we need from policy processes and what they deliver.
What are the biggest challenges of being a researcher in your field?
One challenge is to explain the wide range of research that takes place under the umbrella term ‘political studies’. It is tempting to equate politics only with the study of elections, political parties, and high profile elected leaders (at least in liberal democracies). Yet, our subject includes a wide range of topics, such as colonialism, conflict, feminism, multi-level governance, political economy, ethics, and social movements and interest groups.
Another useful challenge is to make full use of the interdisciplinary potential of policy studies. During my career, I have witnessed a surge of attention to insights from studies of policymaking, but it is not easy to action and translate insights from a field that has its own technical language. As such, one challenge for me is to encourage political and policy studies that are accessible to researchers in many other disciplines.
What does the field try to address, or what are the major questions that the field aims to answer?
Our subject benchmark notes that ‘Questions of power, justice, order, conflict, legitimacy, accountability, obligation, sovereignty, mediation, security, governance and decision-making are central to politics’.
There is an equally wide range of concerns in policy studies. However, I think that there is rising attention to pressing policymaking questions, including: why is there such a gap between what we require from policymaking and what happens? This question encompasses evergreen problems such as a weak connection between the size of policy problems and attention to them, research evidence and policy, or policy strategies and outcomes. Policy studies provide good answers to such questions, but in the form of dilemmas to face rather than simple solutions to adopt.
What aspects of Open Research are particularly beneficial to your field?
There is high potential to share things like large datasets, and a growing recognition that we need sites that are open to publishing null results. The flexible format also allows scholars to produce large qualitative Systematic Reviews to reflect on the state of political studies. Such initiatives connect to policy relevance, such as when policymakers seek knowledge synthesis rather than the latest article.
Are there any key challenges when it comes to participating in Open Research that are specific to your research area?
One issue is that it is not only large publishers making money from traditional publishing models. Major disciplinary societies have made a large proportion of their income from journal subscriptions, so a shift in funding causes high uncertainty. There is also more of a book culture in political science than many others, and open access books are expensive to secure (or not available as an option on many open access venues). Political science also faces the same issue as most others: there is still a strong incentive to publish in high status and well-established journals, so new open access platforms will take time to become as attractive. I hope that initiatives like Open Research Europe can help facilitate this shift.
Learn more about the Political Sciences Community Gateway and to submit your own research today.
