Tag Archives: social media

When Less is More: Advice on Getting Research into the Hands of Policymakers

Behind the loud and often garrulous rhetoric of politicians and pundits lies a quiet pipeline of information that flows from the research world to the people making policy decisions in state and federal offices. The staffs of senators’ offices, the long-time bureaucrats at the Department of Justice or the Department of Health and Human Services, or the communications staff of major committees on the Hill all need information they can trust in order to formulate the policies that shape and support our society.

So how do policymakers find that information, and what is the most effective way to reach them? For insights, we talk with John Hutchins, communications director at , a research organization that for the past 37 years has developed and evaluated education and social programs, from workforce development to education reform to family and child well-being. [More]

Longer, original posts bring readers back

A at Salon by Kerry Lauerman got me wondering if maybe the tide is turning, and social media is returning to what works: depth of content and an original perspective.

Lauerman is reporting from the front lines of online publications.  was one of the first into this new world of digital media with its fully online “magazine.” (We still have not found a good name for these kinds of publications.) Way back in, what, 1997 (?), Salon launched itself without the doppleganger of a paper version. Just as we look at modern steel-and-glass skyscrapers today and say, meh, what’s the big deal?, Salon might not seem like such a revelation, but at the time, it was. And now, bonus, it has a long history of experimentation to draw on. [More]

Barbara Ray was an instrumental collaborator on our book "Mother's Work and Children's Lives." She not only synthesized and brought to life a wide body of analysis on the politics of welfare reform, but she also expertly integrated our qualitative and quantitative evidence to provide a vivid description of low-income working mothers in the post-welfare reform era.”

Ariel KalilProfessor, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago

Ready to learn more? .