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Closing the Gap: Research and Policy

Scholars as Policy Advocates

Honors student Mallory Matheson believes scholars have a responsibility as advocates, and spent this summer learning to bridge the gap between research and policy. Matheson (pictured at far left above) is a senior graduating in April 2020 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in International Development. Throughout her time at BYU, Matheson has exemplified Academic Excellence most notably with her research and contributions to the field of women, peace and security (WPS). This year Matheson received the Kennedy Research Fellow award for her BYU Prelaw Review article, titled: "Reevaluating African Women’s Inheritance Rights in Indigenous Customary Law and Statutory National Law." She has also co-authored a policy recommendation report for Colombia’s Truth Commission with a BYU faculty-mentored research team and co-founded a non-profit organization, Girls Lobby, to teach Utah high school girls how to lobby the state legislature. These accomplishments, as well as many others, qualified Matheson to secure a prestigious internship with the Women and Foreign Policy program of the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington D.C. this past summer.

Matheson views her experience in Honors as intellectually stimulating. “I joined the Honors Program for its focus on interdisciplinary learning and the opportunity to write a thesis. The idea of drawing connections between fields in co-taught classes appealed to me, as I believe multi-sector collaboration remains vital to creating innovative solutions to social problems. I’ve especially loved working with Dr. Ward and Dr. Rugh in their Unexpected Connections classes.

When Matheson reflects upon her achievements so far in her university experience, she can trace her success to getting involved her freshman year and making an intentional decision to follow her passions. “My first interest in international development came when I took an introductory class in the subject during my first year of college. As I learned about the intersections between social problems, human rights and social impact, I realized that I wanted to pursue a career in women, peace, and security (WPS). With that goal in mind, I decided to make human rights the general focus of my undergraduate career.” By working on the Global Truth Commission Index with a former Late Summer Honors faculty member, Professor Romeri-Lewis, Matheson was able to gain research experience and skills she views as ”foundational to my qualifications for the internship.”

All of this excellent undergraduate work prepared Matheson for her internship this summer. “I worked on three main projects: writing and publishing a short article on trafficking in refugees, migration, and conflict; creating a literature review on feminist foreign policy for an upcoming white paper; and spearheading research on Sweden's national #MeToo movement for an upcoming book on the global #MeToo movement.” Other significant projects Matheson worked on included creating a dataset tracking women's political leadership worldwide, writing talking points for roundtables, and publishing weekly news briefs on gender issues worldwide.

Matheson views her internship as a transformative experience that will shape her career. “While I knew prior to the internship that I wanted to pursue a career in policy and advocacy rather than research, I viewed it as an opportunity to learn about how think tanks promote use of their research while honing my research skills. One of the things I've become most concerned about during my undergraduate career is the gap between research and policy. Many scholars lack training on how to translate their research into formats that policymakers can use to create evidence-based policy. They write for other academics, not policymakers. I believe that the academic and policy communities need to design collaborative methods to overcome these challenges. In my opinion, scholarship inherently carries a burden of advocacy. Why conduct research unless you plan to use it to change things you think are inefficient, unethical, or ineffective?” Matheson hopes to advance a movement toward evidence-based policy throughout her career.

For others who are seeking similar opportunities in government, advocacy, or prestigious internships, Matheson offers the following advice:

  • “Participate in faculty-mentored research beforehand. The research skills and experience you gain will prepare you for opportunities.
  • “Apply to a ton of internships to maximize your chances--including those for which you don't think you're 100% qualified or those you think are out of your league. You never know!”
  • “Make sure your application materials are professional, engaging, and tell a story about why you are an excellent candidate for the position.”

In the near future, Matheson plans to complete her Honors thesis, and looks forward to figuring out how to make that research applicable and useful to the real world.