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Policy research

Policy research from The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) turns evidence into bounded implications for the authorities that decide: ministries, regulators, local governments and public agencies. Each brief states its evidence, the options, their trade-offs and what the evidence cannot support. Briefs inform. They take no partisan position and no public decision. Part of the research library.

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01Register

Policy research on the record.

The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation
  1. 01InstitutionThe Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI)
  2. 02What a brief doesFrom evidence to options, with limits
  3. 03BoundariesWhat policy research will not do
  4. 04Evidence and implicationKeeping the two apart
  5. 05Who it servesAudiences and routes
02What a brief does

From evidence to options, with limits.

A brief is short by design. Its supporting evidence is published and linked, so the reader can check what lies beneath it.

  1. 01

    States the question

    The decision or problem the brief addresses, and for whom.

  2. 02

    Summarises the evidence

    What is known, with evidence labels and links to the underlying research.

  3. 03

    Sets out options

    Realistic options, including doing nothing, with their trade-offs.

  4. 04

    Bounds the implications

    What the evidence supports and what it does not.

03Boundaries

What policy research will not do.

Authority

No decisions

Decisions stay with competent authorities. Analysis is not the decision.

Neutrality

No partisanship

No advocacy for parties, candidates or partisan positions.

Evidence

No overreach

Implications go no further than the evidence. Uncertainty stays visible.

04Evidence and implication

Keeping the two apart.

Every brief separates what the evidence shows from what the authors infer. Evidence carries its labels and uncertainty. Implications are conditional options, so a reader who weighs values differently can reach a different choice from the same evidence. Dissenting expert views are noted.

05Who it serves

Audiences and routes.

Governments and public institutions can start at governments and public institutions. Technical support for implementation is described under technical assistance. Institutional dialogue on policy is convened by The Global Risks Forum (GRF), which publishes governance papers.

GCRI does not regulate, certify, license or approve, and a brief creates no obligation for any authority.

06Questions

Questions and answers.

Can a ministry request a brief?
Yes, through a country-scoping dialogue or a mandate-specific technical programme. The brief’s scope, review and publication are agreed at the start.
Are briefs published?
Briefs are published after review where the requesting institution and rights allow. Some may stay with the requesting institution, and that is recorded.
How are briefs reviewed?
By qualified reviewers for the evidence, and by editorial review for clarity, labels and boundaries. Conflicts are declared and managed.
Does GCRI lobby?
No. GCRI provides evidence and options to those who ask and to the public. It does not campaign for legislation or partisan outcomes.
Can civil society use policy briefs?
Yes. Published briefs are public, and civil society and communities can challenge them through the integrity route, receiving a reasoned response.
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Reports is the Consortium’s quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.

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