Policy Lab is celebrating 10 years of bringing new methods into government. An important part of our story is our pioneering use of ethnography in policymaking. We have brought our ethnographic approach to independent reviews, the creation of strategies, the development and testing of policy and services and much more. A decade on, we are launching a new film to showcase examples of our film ethnography work across government. You can watch the three-minute film here:
‘Ethnography’ is a social research method which explores people’s everyday lives. It involves spending time with participants and really listening to the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ - in their own worlds. You can read more about the ethnographic method, and how it can provide a compelling form of evidence, here. Ethnography is one of Policy Lab’s foundational methods, and we use this approach to gather lived experience insights for policy teams.
In 2015, Kyna Gourley joined as government’s first ever film ethnographer, setting up the first in-house capability to do this work and adapting the method to policymaking. Since then, Policy Lab has worked on thirty ethnographic film projects with more than a dozen departments, using the method to improve understanding and develop powerful ideas for policy change.
The new film showcases some of the most compelling projects we have worked on. You’ll meet participants sharing their experiences of housing, homelessness, addiction, prison and being part of the Windrush generation.
I have received a number of messages from people, including Home Office staff, who have said that the impact of the video summary is powerful and affecting. They have also commented on the way it sets the context for the Review so effectively.
Wendy Williams, Chair of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review
These stories have been used to bring people’s everyday experiences into strategies, public independent reviews, and policy proposals. We have seen how ethnographic films can shift both mindsets and policies.
It's a very efficient way of demonstrating the issue in the shortest space of time.
Policymaker, National Crime Agency
Reflecting on this portfolio of work, we can see that film ethnography can play specific beneficial roles in the policymaking process. These include:
- Generating a different type of insight that enriches our understanding of patterns derived from other forms of evidence gathering;
- Visualising policy, offering a powerful and engaging form of storytelling which succinctly conveys information and humanises abstract issues;
- Bringing people to the heart of policymaking, presenting complex policy issues in people’s own voices – especially people who might not be included in other forms of policymaking or traditional stakeholder engagement activities;
- Valuing people impacted by policy by offering an intensive form of listening that, from feedback we have received, can also be cathartic for those who have experiences to share;
- Uncovering how systems work, by providing a way to capture both strategic and frontline delivery work, in action;
- Shifting mindsets to focus on the problems or opportunities for policy change that really affect people’s everyday work or personal lives.
We’ve been honoured to spend time with people around the country who have shared their stories with us, to make policy better.
It [the film] did have me in tears a few times...it was amazing how it got my point across so well, so thank you for that.
Participant, Disability Unit project
We’re continually experimenting and looking for new ways of using ethnography to improve policymaking. If this inspires you to explore how you can use ethnographic methods, please get in touch at team@policylab.gov.uk and see our broader methods, offer and impact in our prospectus here.
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