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Programme
Talking Heads Video Interviews
Communicating results effectively to researchers, policy makers
and practitioners is vital for the programme. Practical experience
has shown face-to-face communication to be particularly effective,
but short video clips where respected individuals describe
results, advantages and disadvantages, are also very effective.
Watch video clips and read transcripts from interviews with
policy makers, practitioners and CSO staff. More...
RAPID Themes
RAPID work is organised in four broad themes: The role
of research-based evidence in development policy processes;
Improved knowledge management and learning; Communication
and information systems; and Approaches to institutional capacity
for policy for evidence-based policy. Updated information
on these themes is now available, along with a summary of
the lessons we have learned about each so far. More..
Projects
RAPID Evaluations
RAPID conducts evaluations of the work of research-policy
interventions, in addition to our research, advisory and training
work, aiming to assess the quality, effectiveness, influence
and sustainability of research-policy intervention, to improve
such interventions and to help promote learning. More...
Rural e-services
This is a three year EPSRC funded
project to look at how participatory rural appraisal can be
used with participatory software design methods to develop
appropriate (and appropriated) ICT solutions in microfinance
cooperatives. The project will also seek to develop enhanced
business models using the opportunities afforded by ICTs.
More...
Lessons from Networks in Cambodia
These four new case studies use the network function-form
framework to describe four networks in Cambodia, forming part
of RAPID's long-term study on research policy networks and
their roles in linking research and policy. The cases show
how these networks undertake various roles and functions and
how their own structural characteristics and the external
environment affect them. The cases have provided insights
into the activities undertaken under each function as well
as the key actors responsible for them. More...
Evaluation of the Engineering
Knowledge and Research Programme (EngKaR)
DFID commissioned an evaluation
of EngKaR to support decision-making about the future of research
on pro-poor infrastructure within the Research Funding Framework.
The evaluation, conducted by Technopolis and ODI, tackles
the way the programme has been designed and run, its results
and - as relevant - opportunities for improvement. More...
Independent Evaluation of the SMEPOL Project
This project to carry out an independent evaluation of the
SMEPol project was commissioned by the Middle East and North
Africa Office of the Canadian International Development Research
Center (IDRC). The evaluation was carried out between August
2005 and March 2006, focusing on two key areas: replication
and scoping in the region. A summary of the findings and the
full final report is now available to view. More...
Bridging Research and Policy on HIV/AIDS
in Developing Countries
HIV/AIDS is an issue where gaps between research and policy
can have devastating implications, yet, the response of policymakers
in developing countries has been extremely mixed. This study
used RAPID's integrated framework to understand the factors
that affect the interaction between research and policy on
HIV/AIDS in developing countries. The final project report
includes findings of the three country studies (Uganda, Kenya
and Botswana) and looks at the research-policy linkages in
three issue areas: Safe blood, MTCT and the 3x5 Initiative.
More...
EU Policy Coherence for Development
The aim of this project was to gain a better understanding
of how EU policy processes work, and the extent to which they
allow for development inputs. Alan Hudson's role has been
to conduct a series of case studies about policy processes
in the following spheres: Trade, agriculture, fisheries, security,
migration and climate change. More...
UK Aid to Africa
This project for Mitsubishi Research and Consulting (Japan),
addressed the what, why, how, and to whom of UK aid to Africa.
The full report and summary are available to download. More...
Civil Society Organisations Case Studies
This project collected case studies of CSOs attempting to
influence policy processes as a means of learning about the
challenges that they face and the strategies they follow to
overcome them. The lessons learned from these cases provide
excellent examples of the existing practical knowledge of
policy influencing strategies held by development researchers
and practitioners in developing countries. More...
Making Energy Policy in Africa More Pro-Poor
and Evidence-Based
Details of joint work with AFREPREN including a policy engagement
project and a comparative study on energy policy, promoting
pro-poor and evidence-based policy. More...
Evidence-based Policymaking: Lessons from
the UK for developing countries
This project has identified lessons and approaches from evidence-based
policymaking in the UK which may be valuable for progressive
policymakers in developing countries. The synthesis report
of the main issues is now available and covers Evidence-based
Policymaking: What is it? How does it work? What relevance
for developing countries? More..
Events
Making Knowledge Count - Seminar and Workshop
for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden
This seminar, held at MoFA in Stockholm, was designed for
researchers, consultants, the private sector, policy makers
and development practitioners and focused on practical strategies
for bridging research and policy, for all stakeholders. The
seminar was followed by a smaller workshop which focused on
specific tools and approaches which can be used to improve
ability to capitalize on commissioned research. More...
Policy Analysis, Engagement and Advocacy
- Concern Worldwide Workshop
This three day workshop for Concern Worldwide, held in Dhaka,
Bangladesh, covered the topic Policy Analysis, Engagement
and Advocacy. The objective of the workshop was for participants
to: share experiences about CSO-policy context in Asia; learn
about the latest worldwide research and practice in this area;
share experiences about approaches to influence policy and
what works; and start to develop strategies to improve policy
impact. More...
CSOs in Policy Processes - RAPID/CEF Workshops
CSOs play an important role in influencing policies and practices
to make them pro-poor. These two Commonwealth Education Fund
(CEF) / RAPID workshops in Mozambique and Bangladesh focused
on how CEF and its partners in Africa and Asia can better
use evidence to promote pro-poor policies. Active participation
was the cornerstone of the approach in the workshops, with
emphasis placed on participants' own knowledge and experience.
More...
Bridging Research, Policy and Practice,
Australia
This one-day workshop on Bridging Research, Policy and Practice
was held at ANU, Canberra in December 2006, co-facilitated
by RAPID and SMERU, Indonesia. The workshop was designed for
researchers, consultants, the private sector, policy makers
and development practitioners, and focused on practical strategies
for bridging research and policy, taking into consideration
the development of economic policy that focuses on the very
poor. More...
ODI/INASP Research-Policy Symposium, Oxford
This symposium brought together 60 network members from INASP
and ODI together with northern and southern partners from
Oxfam, INTRAC, IIED, IDS and others, and the development and
evidence-based policy community in Oxford to share experiences
on how information professionals, scientists and policy makers
can work together to promote evidence-informed policy, and
learn new skills. More...
Civil Society Partnerships Programme Advisory
Group Meeting
The second CSPP Advisory Group Meeting was held in London
in November 2006, overlapping with the Annual Partners Meeting.
The key objectives of the meeting were to review progress
over the last year, to provide advice for the remaining second
year of the Phase 2 plan developed at the last meeting, and
to discuss longer term issues for Phase 3 of the programme,
which will start in April 2008. More...
Civil Society Partnerships Programme Partners
Meeting
The second CSPP Partners Meeting was held at ODI from
the 13th-15th November 2006. This meeting provided an opportunity
for 20 CSPP partners from around the world to discuss progress
and the future of the programme. The Partners Meeting overlapped
with a meeting for high-level Programme Advisors who include
the heads of three of the partner organisations, and was followed
by a two day research-policy symposium in Oxford organised
in collaboration with INASP. More...
Civil Society as a Development Partner:
Lessons learned and ways forward for donor engagement
This roundtable event in June 2006 brought together practitioners
working to strengthen civic engagement in Latin America, Africa,
Asia and the Pacific. Discussants tabled and compared alternative
instruments for support to civic engagement with the state
and drawing on the models presented, a number of lessons essential
to the design and delivery of civil society support were identified.
More...
Civil Society Organisations and Policy
Entrepreneurship Workshop, Vietnam
This workshop was held as part of a CSPP funded project
which aims to provide an understanding of the role of research
institutes and think-tanks in policymaking in Vietnam. The
workshop enabled discussion and validation of preliminary
results from project case study work and provided training
and dissemination of the wider results from the CSSP. The
workshop also provided an opportunity to share the learning
on bridging research and policy with the Vietnamese research
community. More..
Enhancing CSO Influence on Development
Policies
Poor people benefit when civil society is engaged in shaping
policy, particularly when engagement is legitimate and well-informed.
This participatory workshop, under the Political Justice theme
at the CIVCUS World Assembly, focused on how CSOs can maximize
their chances of influencing policy towards meeting the needs
of the poor. More...
Working Together for Accountable Government:
CSOs and parliaments
By working together, CSOs and parliaments can deliver
more accountable, more responsive and more effective government.
This workshop at the CIVICUS World Assembly enabled CSOs to
share experiences and learn lessons about engaging with parliaments.
More...
International Forum on the
Social Science-Policy Nexus
RAPID, in conjunction with CIPPEC, Argentina, held
a half day workshop on bridging research and policy at the
four-day forum in February 2006 in Argentina and Uruguay by
UNESCO's Management of Social Transformations Programme. The
forum broke new ground in connecting social science research
to policy and was an opportunity for ODI to strengthen links
to regional institutions and practitioners as well as to share
its work and efforts to inform and inspire pro-poor policy
processes around the world. The summary report of the workshop
is now available. More.
Knowledge Translation: Using research to
inform health-care policy and practice
This seminar in June 2006 in CHSRF/CIHR Research Internship
examined ways in which development research can be executed
more effectively to maximise its influence on policy. The
seminar highlighted both the researcher's and policymaker's
views, an analytical and practical framework, different types
of evidence and relevant case studies, and also provided some
useful tools. More...
Making the Policy-Research Connection for
Development: Using Research-Based Evidence to Improve Policy,
Programs and Practice
This workshop on the policy-research nexus for Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) Policy Analysts, held in June 2006
in Ottawa, Canada, provided some underpinning theory and practical
guidance on how to use research more effectively for policy
and practice, and included the latest research, some analytical
and practical tools, pratical exercises and specific examples
of evidence-based policymaking in the UK and Canada. More...
The Research-Policy Connection: Using Research-Based
Evidence to Improve Development Policy, Programs, and Practice
This series of workshops for the Congress of the Humanities
and Social Sciences, held in Canada in June 2006, provided
an opportunity for researchers, policy makers and practitioners
to learn how to improve the use of research in development
policy and practice. The series of three modular workshops
covered Effective Research for Development Policy; Evidence
and the Policy Making Process; and Action Research for Maximum
Impact. More...
CIVICUS World Assembly 2006
The CIVICUS World Assembly, being held in Glasgow, Scotland
in June 2006, follows the overall theme of 'Acting Together
for a Just World'. The RAPID team will be facilitating two
workshops during the Assembly, 'Enhancing CSO Influence on
Development Policies' and 'Working Together for Accountable
Government: CSOs and parliaments'. More...
Outcome Mapping Workshop for IFRTD, Cuba
RAPID facilitated this workshop organised by the Cuban
National Forum of the International Forum for Rural Transport
and Development - Latin America, held in Cuba in September
2005. The aim of the workshop was to introduce participants
to the Outcome Mapping methodology, to enable them to develop
a strategy and business plan for the network and to identify
methods to monitor the strategy. More...
Publications
Bringing Community-learnt Knowledge into
the Policy Debate: The Case of Legal Aid Centres
This new Working Paper addresses the key question: How
and under what circumstances can elites bring experiential
knowledge about the situation of the poor to bear on policy
debates? Two cases are examined and compared: the Legal Resources
Centre (LRC) in South Africa and the Uganda Association of
Women Lawyers (FIDA U) in Uganda. More...
Building Effective Research Policy Networks:
Linking Function and Form
This new Working Paper looks at the factors that
affect the key structural characteristics of research policy
networks, in an attempt to develop a methodology for studying
and understanding what networks do and how. The paper considers
the possible effects of these structural factors on a network's
ability to perform one or more of these functions, based on
some of the lessons learned from a study of seven research
policy networks in Peru. The paper provides a menu of factors
and characteristics worth considering when intending to build
effective networks. More...
Mapping Political Context Online Toolkit
This toolkit describes a range of tools that CSOs might use
to understand and map political context, in order to engage
more effectively in policy processes. The tools have been
designed to map various dimensions of political context and
have been selected because they cover a wide variety of political
dimensions. More...
Knowledge and Learning Online Toolkit
This toolkit presents entry points and references to 30 tools
and methods used to facilitate improved knowledge and learning
in the development and humanitarian sectors. Tools are divided
into five categories: Strategy Development; Management Techniques;
Collaboration Mechanisms; Knowledge Sharing and Learning Processes;
and Knowledge Capture and Storage. More...
CSO Capacity for Policy Engagement: Lessons
Learned from the CSPP Consultations in Africa, Asia and Latin
America
There is very little systematic research on how CSOs all
over the world are influencing policy processes, especially
from the point of view of those actually involved in the policymaking
process in the South. This paper aims to compare and contrast
the lessons that emerged from the CSPP Southern consultations
regarding the use of evidence-based policy-engagement, and
for ODI to learn what role it may take in aiding CSO involvement
in policy processes in the future, especially through the
CSPP. More...
Mapping Political Context: A Toolkit for
Civil Society Organisations
This toolkit describes a range of tools that CSOs
might use to understand and map political context, in order
to engage more effectively in policy processes. This guide
introduces a series of tools that have been designed to map
various dimensions of political context. The tools have been
selected because they cover a wide variety of political dimensions.
As such, they provide a menu of different approaches to mapping
political context; CSOs and others can select from this menu
and make use of the tools according to their own needs.
More...
Tools for Knowledge and Learning: A guide
for development and humanitarian organisations
This toolkit presents entry points and references
to 30 tools and methods used to facilitate improved knowledge
and learning in the development and humanitarian sectors.
Tools are divided into five categories: Strategy Development;
Management Techniques; Collaboration Mechanisms; Knowledge
Sharing and Learning Processes; and Knowledge Capture and
Storage. More...
Understanding Networks: The Functions of
Research Policy Networks
Building on the lessons of networks studies focusing on their
usefulness and functions, this new Working Paper addresses
the problem of describing networks by considering the possible
functions that they can play to link up the various processes
that allow the bridging of research and policy. More...
What Political and Institutional Context
Issues Matter for Bridging Research and Policy? A literature
review and discussion of data collection approaches
This new Working Paper reviews the relevant literature
on politics, policy processes and institutions in order to
identify the key issues that may affect research-policy links.
The aim is to generate understanding about the research-policy
nexus in order to provide practical advice for developing
and transition countries. More...
Policy Engagement: How civil society can
be more effective
This new report shows why and how better use of evidence
by CSOs is part of the solution to increasing the policy influence
and pro-poor impact of their work. The report includes strategic
guidance and practical approaches regarding how CSOs can ensure
their policy engagement is more effective, influential and
sustained. More...
Policy Engagement for Poverty Reduction
– How Civil Society Can be More Effective
This ODI Briefing Paper focuses on why and how CSOs can
engage more effectively in policy processes in international
development. It sets the scene and highlights the opportunities
and challenges facing CSOs policy work, then focuses on why
evidence matters for CSOs’ work in international development.
It also provides a framework that matches the engagement mechanisms
and evidence needs to the critical stages of policy processes
and summarises strategic and practical advice on how CSOs
can ensure their policy engagement is more effective, influential
and sustained. More...
CSOs, Policy Influence, and Evidence Use:
A Short Survey
This report presents the results of a survey of civil society
organisations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe,
which addressed three major research questions: How are CSOs
influencing policies in their country? What is the context
in which they are influencing policy? What are these CSOs
requesting from ODI and what types of support do they need?
This paper highlights a number of clear and incisive findings.
More...
Informal Traders Lock Horns with the Formal
Milk Industry: The role of research in pro-poor dairy policy
shift in Kenya
This Working Paper presents the results of the analysis of
policy changes that occurred during and after the implementation
of the Smallholder Dairy Project (SDP) in Kenya, a research
and development project which changed its focus towards achieving
a greater impact from their findings on policy makers. It
is a remarkable story of evidence-based policy making. More...
Bridging Research and Policy in International
Development: An analytical and practical framework, Development
in Practice
This article by Julius Court and John Young in the journal
Development in Practice outlines some of the theory
behind, and practical application of the RAPID Analytical
and Practical Framework. More...
A Toolkit for Progressive Policymakers
in Developing Countries
Over the last decade the UK government
has been promoting the concept of 'evidence-based policy'
(EBP). We are constantly asked by our partners in the South
about what is happening in the UK regarding EBP and what can
they learn from the UK experience. The aim of this new toolkit
is to identify lessons and approaches from EBP in the UK which
may be valuable for developing countries. More...
Aid to Africa and the UK's '2005 Agenda':
Perspectives of European Donors and Implications for Japan
This paper presents a synthesis of ODI work, funded
by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), intended
to help stakeholders in Japan to understand better the UK's
'2005 agenda' on Africa and to start to outline the potential
implications for Japan, JICA in particular. More...
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