ODI is Britain's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues.

Knowledge and power

Walking through maze (Source: ailatan, Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/osiatynska/3516409498/)
  • There are many factors that influence the ability for research to inform both policy and practice. ODI research concentrates on the following areas:
    • Actors: Policy actors have different abilities to critically engage with knowledge and face varying opportunities and challenges when bringing evidence to the table during policy discussions.
    • Analysing political context: the nature of the political system, including the level of democratic competition, government leadership, incentive structures within policy-making organisations, and capacities of both policy-makers and institutions can determine whether – and to what extent – knowledge is used to inform policy-making.
    • Types of knowledge: How knowledge is generated is just as important as what is made of it. What types of information – scientific, participatory, or monitoring and evaluation data – are influential in policy dialogues in different sectors and at different policy levels?
  • Sub-topics:
  • For more information on this theme, contact Nicola Jones