Berlin – ESI at presentation on Effective Policy Advocacy at the German Council on Foreign Relations

6 April 2022
Gerald at discussion ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

ESI’s Gerald Knaus was invited to give a presentation on “Effective Policy Advocacy” at a methodological breakfast organised by Think Tank Lab and the German Council on Foreign Relations.

In his presentation, Gerald spoke about the key elements needed for good policy advocacy practices, such as the right source of motivation, and the focus on quality over quantity. Moreover, Gerald argued that concise, lengthy background research is needed but when publishing only what is essential should be on paper.

Gerald added that researchers should publish fundamentally new ideas and not every finding one comes across. Furthermore, to get those ideas through, storytelling helps with getting the message across and to stick. Finally, Gerald stressed that researchers need to be patient and persistent. Change takes time and one needs to repeat arguments many times.

The breakfast was hosted by Claire Luzia Leifert (Head, Impact & Innovation Lab).