Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
1-20-2016
Abstract
Information is very essential in any organization especially in a government based environment where information are needed for policy making. However, some of the instruments used for getting information are not well managed by the civil servants who are the custodian of this research information. This study investigated the attitude of policymakers in terms of the types, availability and accessibility of research information in making policy. Focusing particularly on the types of research information needed by senior civil servants in making policies, frequency of use of research information source, accessibility of information for decision making and the challenges encountered in the course of using them. The descriptive research method was adopted, using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire to gather information from 166 senior civil servants randomly selected from selected ministries in Lagos state, as data collection instrument. Results indicated that information provided by ones ministry, information on project implemented by ones ministry , information on infrastructural development and information on human resources and skills available at ones ministry are the most used information by policymakers in making policy. The study also showed that internal files, colleagues or superior, newspaper, government publication and internet are the most frequently used and accessible information sources for policymaking. Impracticability of research recommendation politically and financially, too much information to absorb and contradictions in information from different researchers are the major constraints to research output. The study recommended among other suggestions that policymakers must consider wider ranges of research information sources for effective policy making.