Data to support good decision-making is not always available in sufficient quantities, nor is it always reliable, legitimate, or used effectively. It is often collected by technical experts who do not necessarily share the same priorities as political actors. Data can also be presented in ways that are not helpful to those who need to access it at the local level.
Data could be made available to policymakers local and national, but in a more standardised way to allow for meaningful comparison. An agreed hierarchy of data would help to establish the building blocks required for city administrations and support effective decision making at the local level. Artificial Intelligence could be deployed to enable access to the right data sets. Data also needs to be visualised in interesting ways to enable buy-in, with relevant case studies providing a narrative to information and evidence. There is a role for universities in collecting and digitising data.
Data could be more inclusive, capturing information from countries and groups that are not always included. For example, it was raised that SIDS are not always adequately represented in the narrative around rapid urbanisation. In addition, in many Commonwealth cities, a significant proportion of economic activity is informal and therefore not visible in current economic data sets.
Along with delivering education and training to upskill and address competency and capability gaps, academia can support with action-oriented research, tools and expert insight. Universities could invest in research that is more applied, which measures impact better, and which has industry involvement to help streamline and maximise impact. Some universities are already offering applied master’s degrees or industry doctorates to enable closer links between researchers, policymakers, and implementers.
Universities also have a role as conveners of stakeholders, co-designing evidence-based research in collaboration with public policy, practitioner, and civil society stakeholders across the Commonwealth’s networks. This research can be mainstreamed within policy making and governance frameworks and harnessed by national governments to support an international coalition. This happened previously when the Association of Commonwealth Universities supported 48 academic researchers to provide support for actions noted in the Commonwealth Blue Charter.