Beyond two communities - from research utilization and knowledge translation to co-production?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Science and Technology Studies (STS)

Background:

• The relationship between researchers, policymakers, and professionals is often framed by a 'two communities' theory, emphasizing cultural and logical divides.
• This theory, while useful for understanding difficulties in connecting research to policy, has limitations in analyzing structural collaborations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critique the 'two communities' framework for its limitations in analyzing collaborative structures.
• To propose and utilize the alternative framework of coproduction to understand the dynamic boundaries between research, policy, and practice.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the limitations of the 'two communities' tradition.
• Application of the coproduction framework.
• Drawing on long-term qualitative research of structural collaborations in public health.

Main Results:

• The 'two communities' theory oversimplifies the separation between research and policy domains.
• Boundaries between research and policy are often more fluid and rhetorical than acknowledged.
• The study highlights the need to analyze how boundaries are maintained, redrawn, or re-established.

Conclusions:

• The 'two communities' logic is insufficient for understanding complex research-policy-practice interactions.
• A coproduction framework offers a more nuanced understanding of these relationships.
• Analyzing the active management of boundaries is crucial for effective public health collaborations.