Research into policy: A case study of improving the research evidence base for transport policy makers in NSW, Australia

The paper synthesises the literature to extract evidence, particularly relevant to the Australian context, concerning the utilisation and barriers to use of research in a policy-making framework. The main body of the paper reports on recent research conducted in NSW to provide quantitative and qualitative evidence on the needs of researchers, policy makers and other interested parties in NSW and the perceived barriers to making greater connections between the evidence base that exists and transport policy for relevant stakeholders. The results of this case-study investigation include recommendations which have emerged from this NSW case study as well as an exploration of the relevance of structural change, such as a government backed Strategic Research Agenda to create an effective transmission mechanism for evidence based public transport policy.