Bridging the Gap between Research and Policymakers in India

Better utilization of research and evidence in development policy and practice can help save lives, reduce poverty and improve the quality of life. Ignoring research can sometimes have near disastrous impacts on the livelihoods of poor people. The key issues are: how can policy-makers best use research and move towards evidence-based policy-making; how can researcher’s best use their findings in order to influence policy; and how can the interaction between researchers and policy-makers be improved?

The aims of the seminar were to:

• Share experiences about research-policy processes in India
• Learn about the Context: Evidence: Links Framework for analysing research-policy processes
• Discuss approaches on how to strengthen research-policy links in India
• Learn about further sources of information

In addition, a further workshop will provide an opportunity for researchers, policy makers and practitioners involved in the FRP R8171 project on Low-flows and Livelihoods Project on water policy in India to consider how to improve the policy impact of the project.

The aims of the workshop were for participants to:

• Share experiences about research-policy processes in the water and forest sector in India.
• Apply the Context: Evidence: Links Framework to this sector and the specific context of the FRP R8171 project.
• Learn about tools and approaches which have been used in similar environments.
• Develop a strategy to improve the policy impact of the project.