ODI Publications

Bridging Research and Policy in International Development: An Analytical and Practical Framework
John Young and Julius Court, RAPID Briefing Paper 1, October 2004
A 4-page briefing paper outlining some of the theory behind, and practical application of the RAPID Analytical and Practical Framework. Better use of research-based evidence in development policy and practice can help save lives, reduce poverty and improve the quality of life. But for this to happen more effectively researchers need to do three things. First, they need to develop a detailed understanding of the policymaking process and the nature of evidence. Second, they need an overall strategy for their work and thirdly, they need to be entrepreneurial. Based on over five years of theoretical and case study research, the RAPID programme has developed an analytical framework and practical tools. More...
View publication online (118kb) Also available to download in French (130kb) and Spanish (108kb)

Policy briefs as a communication tool for development research
Nicola Jones and Cora Walsh , May 2008
Policy briefs are often recommended as a key tool for communicating research findings to policy actors. However, there has been little systematic research in the development field about the communication needs of developing country policy-makers and how such research can be used to inform policy brief content and design. This background note draws on recent research by RAPID and SciDev.Net on the research communication environment involving researchers, policy-makers and development practitioners from the North and South in science, technology and innovation. It begins with an overview of the theoretical literature on bridging research and policy, with a focus on insights from scholars interested in the science–policy interface. We then highlight the barriers to, and opportunities for, strengthening communication between researchers, knowledge brokers and policy-makers working in international development, and the key requisites of policy briefs to meet the challenges of this landscape.
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Strengthening humanitarian networks: Applying the network functions approach
Ben Ramalingam, Enrique Mendizabal and Ed Schenkenberg van Mierop, April 2008
This note offers a simple, flexible and powerful methodology — the network functions approach (NFA) — that can be applied to analyse and strengthen humanitarian and development networks. Based on research undertaken at ODI and elsewhere, the NFA suggests there are six overlapping functions that different networks perform in varying combinations. Through reflection on a network’s current activities and how they relate to each of these functions, the NFA helps those facilitating, acting within or supporting networks to work towards an ‘ideal’ functional mix. The aim is for network strategies to be honed, thinking clarified, activities sharpened and ultimately, humanitarian performance improved.
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Who is working to influence policies on trade and poverty in Latin America?
Tom Pengelly, February 2008
This background note aims to identify organisations that are working to influence policy and build capacity around pro-poor trade in Latin America. This mapping provides an important baseline for the work of Comercio y Pobreza en Latinoamérica (COPLA, www.cop-la.net), a DFID-funded project on trade, poverty and social exclusion in Latin America, and may also be useful for others concerned with the pro-poor dimensions of Latin American trade and trade-related policies. It focuses on organisations working on at least one of the following issues: spatial poverty (lagging regions); gender; indigenous peoples; and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
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Setting The Scene: Situating DFID’s Research Funding Policy and Practice in an International Comparative Perspective
Nicola Jones and John Young, June 2007
This report aims to situate the Department for International Development (DFID)’s role as a donor of international research in a comparative international perspective in order to inform the development of the Central Research Department’s next 5-year research strategy and 20-year Vision of development for poverty reduction. The study included a desktop/web review of published information and key informant interviews with development researchers and practitioners. The objectives of the study were to i) identify the top 10-15 research donors, ii) identify areas of duplication, and omission, iii) suggest where DFID can add value, iv) identify regional research processes, and vi) new partnerships with which DFID can engage, and vii) identify key northern research organisations of value for developing countries. Outputs include answers to these questions in this report, and a series of databases containing detailed information about research donor spending, their programmes (themes, geographical focus, and approaches to capacity development), and regional research networks. More...
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From Multi-donor support to civil society and engaging with ‘non-traditional’ civil society: A light-touch review of DFID’s portfolio
Fletcher Tembo and Adrian Wells, June 2007
The DFID Effective States Team (EST) commissioned ODI to conduct a ‘light touch’ review of: (i) multi-donor models for supporting civil society; and (ii) efforts to reach out to ‘non-traditional’ civil society. The study tests the assumption that multi-donor support mechanisms scale up and enhance the effectiveness of civil society engagement with the state for improved governance and poverty reduction. The study identifies and analyses: (a) Existing multi-donor programmes for support to civil society as well as on-going transitions to harmonised ways of working; (b) How particular multi-donor funds are positioned within the broader aid architecture in any one country. (c) Experience of engaging with different non-traditional civil society organisations, and related challenges, strengths and weaknesses. This document presents: (i) a summary of key findings; (ii) issues for further study; (iii) lessons on multi-donor instruments for civil society support; and (iv) lessons on working with ‘non-traditional’ civil society. More...
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Policy Engagement: How civil society can be more effective
Julius Court, Enrique Mendizabal, David Osborne and John Young
Civil society organisations (CSOs) could have a greater impact on policy processes in developing countries. This 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...
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CSOs, Policy Influence, and Evidence Use: A Short Survey
Jillian Kornsweig, David Osborne, Ingie Hovland and Julius Court, Februrary 2006 (mimeo)
This report presents the results of a survey of civil society organisations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The survey 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? The survey was designed to help us understand the types of evidence CSOs use for policy influence; the extent of success they feel they are having; the incentives and disincentives for CSOs to use evidence; how types of context affects all this; and what they feel their needs are. This paper highlights a number of clear and incisive findings. More...
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Aid to Africa and the UK's '2005 Agenda': Perspectives of European Donors and Implications for Japan
Edited by Julius Court, December 2005
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. The paper outlines the UK's '2005 Agenda' on Africa: the key issues that will inform the UK's dual presidency in 2005 of the G8 and the EU. It assesses the perspectives of France, Germany and the EU on these issues, along with areas of agreement and momentum versus areas of divergence. It concludes with the implications for Japan: the key decisions for 2005 and the implications for reform in the longer term. More...
View full report online (928kb) and for more information see The G8, UK Aid Policies for African Development and Implications for Japan project

Livelihoods Approaches to Information and Communication in Support of Rural Poverty Elimination and Food Security
Robert Chapman, Tom Slaymaker and John Young, November 2003
FAO, DFID and ODI undertook a study in 2001/2 to analyse the role of information in livelihoods, and make recommendations on how agencies can capitalise on and integrate the best elements of traditional communication methods and new information and communication technologies within the livelihoods approach. This publication provides the results of the initial literature review. The key conclusions were that information and communications systems are most likely to improve livelihoods in rural areas if they: share costs appropriately; ensure equitable access to all; contain a high proportion of local or appropriately localised content; build on existing systems; build capacity; use realistic technologies; and build knowledge partnerships. More...
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view final version of main report only (1mb) or final version of document summaries (492kb)

Mapping Political Context: A Toolkit for Civil Society Organisations
Robert Nash, Alan Hudson and Cecilia Luttrell, July 2006
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...
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Tools for Knowledge and Learning: A guide for development and humanitarian organisations
Ben Ramalingam, July 2006
In recent years, a growing movement has emphasised the improved application of knowledge and learning as a means to improve development and humanitarian work and this has led to the widespread adoption of learning and knowledge-based strategies among the range of agencies involved in such work. This toolkit is aimed at staff in such organisations and presents entry points and references to the wide range of tools and methods that have been used to facilitate improved knowledge and learning in the development and humanitarian sectors. 30 tools and techniques are presented, divided into five categories: Strategy Development; Management Techniques; Collaboration Mechanisms; Knowledge Sharing and Learning Processes; and Knowledge Capture and Storage. More...
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Also available to download in Spanish (pdf 331kb)

Successful Communication: A Toolkit for Researchers and Civil Society Organisations
Ingie Hovland, October 2005
The RAPID programme has been looking at the links between research and policy for several years. It is now in the process of identifying, developing, distributing and delivering tools, resources and training support that can help researchers inform and influence the policy process. This handbook presents work in progress on communication tools, specifically geared towards the needs of researchers in civil society organisations. The tools are grouped under the headings of Planning, Packaging, Targeting and Monitoring tools. More...
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Also available to download in Spanish (pdf 285kb)

Exploring the science of complexity: Ideas and implications for development and humanitarian efforts
Ben Ramalingam and Harry Jones with Toussaint Reba and John Young, February 2008
Despite the complexity and interconnectedness of problems faced in humanitarian and development work, they are often approached in an overly simplistic manner, informed by linear ways of thinking. This paper draws on the science of complexity to outline an alternative approach to analysing and understanding these problems. It explores and explains ten key concepts of complexity science and considers their implications for development and humanitarian work.  It concludes that complexity science can enable those thinking about and working on these problems to better understand and adapt to the complexities of the real world. Its findings will be of particular interest to those working on processes of change - be they researchers, policy analysts and advisors, evaluators or managers who are working on change and reform initiatives. More...
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CSO Capacity for Policy Engagement: Lessons Learned from the CSPP Consultations in Africa, Asia and Latin America
Naved Chowdhury, Chelsie Finlay-Notman and Ingie Hovland, ODI Working Paper 272, August 2006
The nature of CSOs in development work is changing, but how successfully - and leading where? While there is still a strong demand for CSOs to 'sustain the good work' in terms of direct service delivery, there is also a growing need for civil society to participate in policy processes, in order to bring about sustained long-term change. Surprisingly, 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...
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What Political and Institutional Context Issues Matter for Bridging Research and Policy? A literature review and discussion of data collection approaches
Julius Court with Lin Cotterrell, ODI Working Paper 269, June 2006
Existing evidence clearly indicates that political and institutional context issues are the most important set of factors affecting the interface between research and policy. These issues usually explain why research does, or usually does not, lead to policy change. Unfortunately, we do not yet have a systematic understanding of when, why and how political context matters for bridging research and policy in developing countries. Is bridging research and policy easier in democratic countries? Do different issues matter in different components of policy processes? Is using research to inform policy easier in a context of crisis? What makes bureaucrats more susceptible to changing practice based on research evidence? This 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...
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Civil Society Participation in Health Research and Policy: A review of models, mechanisms and measures
Shyama Kuruvilla, ODI Working Paper 251, August 2005
Civil society organisations can participate in health research and policy in a variety of ways. As with other complex socio-political interventions, replicating participation methods across contexts, in the same way and to the same effect, is clearly impracticable, if not impossible. However, an overarching understanding of participation processes, effects and explanatory principles is required to inform policy, strategic action and further research. This paper reviews organising frameworks and explanatory principles in the literature which could inform the design and evaluation of CSO participation with health research and policy and in wider social development contexts. This paper is structured using broad thematic categories. More...
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Implementing Knowledge Strategies: Lessons from international development agencies
Ben Ramalingam, ODI Working Paper 244, April 2005
This study synthesises existing research on knowledge and learning in the development sector, and draws out eight key questions for examining related strategies and systems in development agencies. Together, these questions make up a comprehensive Knowledge Strategies Framework, which bears close resemblance to the framework used by ODI to assess complex processes of change within the development and humanitarian sector. The dimensions of this new Knowledge Strategies Framework are mapped out as Organisational knowledge, Organisational links, Organisational contexts, and External factors. More...
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