Linking
research, policy and practice - especially in the development
sector - can help save lives and reduce poverty.
For instance, the results of household disease surveys in two
rural districts in Tanzania informed a process of health service
reforms that contributed to over 40% reductions in infant mortality
between 2000 and 2003.
All too often these realms
fail to take advantage of the substantial opportunities for
cooperation. This can lead to mediocre or even detrimental policies,
research that simply gathers dust on library shelves and lack
of innovation.
The Research and Policy in Development (RAPID) programme at
ODI works with partners in developing and developed countries
at the intersection of research, policy and practice to ensure
better outcomes for the poor. We do this by focussing broadly
on two main areas: understanding the role of knowledge in policy
and practice, and the skills and capacities needed for researchers
and organisations to effectively translate knowledge into action.
The RAPID framework for mapping context, our widely recognised toolkits
and tailored workshops, and the RAPID Outcome Mapping
Approach (ROMA) to policy engagement have served
as the backbone of our programme.
The
RAPID team organise their research around
five main factors that influence
the ability for knowledge to play a role
in policy and practice. 
Capacities
needed to effectively bridge research,
policy and practice:
