RAPID - Civil Society Partnerships Programme

RAPID's Civil Society Partnerships Programme (CSPP) builds on ODI's work with government, non-government and private sector organisations in the north and south for the past 40 years, and RAPID's work on the interface between research and policy. This 7 year DFID-funded programme aims to strengthen the voice of Civil Society to use research-based evidence to promote pro-poor development policy.

Phase I of the programme aimed to better understand how southern CSOs use research-based and other forms of evidence to promote evidence-based policy making, and involved working with partners to promote evidence-based policy-making among civil society organisations. The first stage was a series of consultative workshops and seminars in different regions around the world to learn more about how CSOs use research-based evidence in policy processes and how ODI's CSP can help them to do it better. Phase II will establishing a worldwide network community of practice for think-tanks, policy research institutes and similar organisations working in international development.

The CSPP is funded through a Partnership Programme Agreement with DFID. The programme is led within ODI by John Young and a management team with responsibilities for each outcome area. An internal Advisory Group, with senior representatives from each of the research groups, provides advice on programme direction and integration within ODI, and a small group of external advisers including the Heads of three Southern Think Tanks and International Experts provide an external perspective on programme direction. The programme reports annually to DFID. Programme activities are integrated within and build on ongoing ODI work undertaken by staff across the whole institute.

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