Higher education research and parliamentary research bodies : institutional knowledge brokers walking the line between relevance and legitimacy

The field of higher education (HE) studies emerged in response to the increasingly critical role of tertiary education in contemporary society and economic development. Characterized by its area of inquiry and multi-disciplinarity, it emerged to tackle academic challenges and enhance understanding with the ultimate aim of influencing practice and policy. Despite these ambitions, research reveals significant practical and systemic barriers that impede the translation of scholarly insights into effective policymaking. Knowledge brokering has been posited as a potential remedy to these challenges. This study examines institutional knowledge brokerage within the context of HE policy research by a parliamentary advisory body in Israel. Employing citation and topic analysis, alongside interviews with key stakeholders, we explore the topics addressed by the knowledge brokers, the sources they use and their perceptions of the sources. We identify the types of evidence utilized by knowledge brokers in HE policy, revealing the limited role of academic HE research in informing the brokers advisory, and the significant role of governmental sources. We also illuminate the inherent tensions faced by institutional knowledge brokers, particularly those operating within close proximity to political environments, which constrain their ability to effectively leverage academic sources and influence policy agendas and processes. This study underscores the persistent challenge in bridging HE research and policy, arguing for more robust strategies to enhance the influence of scholarly research on policy development.

Keywords: higher education research, evidence-based policy, knowledge brokering, institutional knowledge brokers, parliamentary research