Making Sense of Knowledge Brokering Organisations

Knowledge Brokering Organisations have multiplied in the evidence-policy landscape across many countries (e.g., What Works Centres in the UK and What Works Clearinghouse in the US). From brokering evidence for policy to advocacy, these organisations play a growing role in what counts as evidence and public administration practice. Yet, we know very little about their emergence and the roles they play. This paper aims to rectify this by combining the literatures of Boundary Organisation theory and Multiple Streams Analysis. We contribute to the study of evidence-informed policymaking by combining these two theories to understand the different practices, relationships and identities at play. Notably, we illustrate how these organisations maintain and bridge the boundary between research and policy, examine the political work involved in these relationships, and reveal how credibility is built in different ways.