Over the next few months, ODI is collecting case-studies illustrating the ways that CSOs engage with policy processes and the ways they use (or distort or ignore) evidence in the process. The case studies should be simple narratives (i.e. stories), based on existing knowledge, which describe cases where CSOs have engaged with policy processes, the nature of the impact they have had (if any), the reasons why and the relative role of research-based evidence in the process.

We are looking for cases:

• at different levels (local, national, regional and global)
  
• on different types of policy change (new agendas; new legislation; new actions on the ground)
  
• in any development sectors (e.g. Energy, Health, Education, Agriculture, etc).

The priority is for cases from authors in developing countries.

Proposals must be submitted via the online application form and include a proposal of not more than 500 words, including the following supporting information:

• title and author
  
• introduction to the case (issue, location, date, organisations involved, prevailing policies and policy climate)
  
• the type and extent of policy change (legislation, policy documents, practice; period over which change took place; etc)
  
• some thoughts on the explanation of the policy change (see RAPID framework)
  • the political context
    
  • the ways CSOs tried to affect policy change (strategy and activities)
    
  • the nature of research-based evidence, if relevant (content, source, reliability)
    
  • the mechanisms they used to get the evidence into the policy process
    
  • any international factors
    
• conclusions on what the case might tell us
  
• sources of documentation to support the case (and written permission to use and publish the material if it is not the work of the author of the case study)
  
• basic information on the author
  

The final cases should also follow this basic format.

Ideally, the case studies will be based on previously documented evidence, although this can be in any media - research reports, books, journals, newspaper articles, radio programmes (or transcripts), television or video, or web-based material - but it must be available in full in electronic form (which can be submitted to the project) or it must be accessible via the internet. Although we will give preference to cases with documentation, we would also welcome proposals from contributors with first hand experience, where there may be little documented evidence. Case studies may be written or produced specially for the programme, or may have been produced earlier for other purposes.

Contributors may submit case-study material generated by others provided it is fully referenced to the original author and the original author has given their permission for the material to be used and, possibly, published. The challenge is to write a simple, clear, 1500 word story (in English) describing the critical factors influencing how CSOs influenced, or failed to influence, policy.

If approved, authors will be invited to submit a full case study, which must include:

• A 1500-word case study covering the information mentioned above; and
  
• The original source documentation (or web address if it is already accessible on the internet).
  

For an example of what we are after, please see: www.gdnet.org/rapnet/research/studies/case_studies/Case_Studies_Index.html

Payment and Submission Information

ODI will pay US$1500 for each case study, $500 on acceptance of a summary, and a further $1000 on receipt of the case study materials.

There is no deadline. A review committee will assess proposals as they come in. We would expect that the first round of cases would be complete by the end of 2005.

• Application form
• Key Terms and Definitions
• Call for Case Studies - printable version ( 50kb)

Back to case studies index