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Linking research, policy and practice
Whether viewed from the perspective of development organizations and funders, or the ultimate beneficiaries of such programmes, investing in a strong knowledge base is critical in achieving development impact. A core part of this is ensuring that all policy decisions and actions have a sound empirical basis.
In practice, however, building sufficient capacity to access, adapt and utilize evidence-based research is quite a difficult undertaking. It requires investing both in core research and analytical capabilities (the evidence base) for effective development action, as well as a range of crucial, but often neglected, capacities that are needed to drive the research message home. These include how to: identify and understand the key stakeholders in the policymaking process; adapt to the dynamics of the political debate; get the timing right in disseminating research results; and communicate in a language that policymakers and practitioners can understand.
Featured Article
The knowledge translation toolkit: Bridging the Know-Do Gap
Published
in May 2011 by Sage India and IDRC, this resource provides a thorough overview of what
knowledge translation (KT) is and how to use it most effectively to bridge the “know–do” gap
between research, policy, practice, and people. It presents the theories, tools, and strategies
required to encourage and enable evidence-informed decision-making.
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Recent Articles
Empowerment: A journey not a destination
19 January 2012
The DFID-funded
Pathways of Women’s Empowerment
Programme launched a synthesis report based on the findings and recommendations from five years
of research in London on 13th January. The report, entitled 'Empowerment: A Journey not a
Destination' draws on the collective works of 60 academic-activists in 12 countries on four
continents. With six companion policy papers and case studies, the publication shares the latest
learning and analysis on what works to enhance women’s empowerment in different parts of the
world.
Linking agricultural research and practice: Climate analogues tool helps farmers anticipate their future climate
09 January 2012
"Climate Analogues" is a new open access
tool launched at the UN Climate Change conference in Durban in December 2011 that aims to help
farmers to assess the impacts of progressive climate change on agricultural production. The tool
locates sites where the climate today is similar to that predicted for another location in the
future, enabling farmers and policymakers to determine how to adapt to anticipated
changes.
Learning to evaluate capacity development: The making of 'Facilitating resourcefulness'
30 November 2011
This article is a supplement to Issue 43 of
Capacity.org. It takes a look behind the scenes of an extensive evaluation of 26 case
studies covering the support to capacity development of seven Dutch Development Partners under the
coordination and partial responsibility of the Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of
the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign affairs. The evaluation aimed to draw lessons on how to improve
the effectiveness of future capacity development interventions.
Capacity development for education for all (CapEFA): Translating theory into practice
24 November 2011
UNESCO's Education for All Global Monitoring Report (2011) suggests that national barriers to
Education for All (EFA) have been largely under-estimated and that, over the past decade,
insufficient attention has been paid to strategies for overcoming them. The recently launched
publication “Capacity Development for Education for All: Translating Theory into Practice” offers
an opportunity for UNESCO to reflect upon its capacity development approach while bringing together
some of the crucial achievements and lessons learned through the CapEFA programme.
E-learning tool to build adaptive capacity for rural livelihoods
22 November 2011
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has developed a modular
e-learning tool to enhance awareness and technical capacities for promoting community-based
adaptation in agriculture. It consists of four interactive learning modules, structured in 24
sessions, that link research-based knowledge on climate change impacts with examples and
experiences on community-based adaptation drawn from various FAO field projects, and a range of
other country-specific case studies. It is available in English, French and Spanish.
3ie launches online database on systematic reviews
16 November 2011
The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) has launched an online database of systematic reviews. This database provides policymakers and practitioners with easy access to systematic reviews that examine evidence on the effects of social and economic development interventions in low- and middle-income countries. It currently has over 100 reviews for many sectors, including agriculture, education, nutrition and health.
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Essential Readings
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Research, Policy and Practice, Capacity.org Issue 35 (December 2008)
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Simon Hearn and Nancy White (2009) Communities of practice: linking knowledge, policy and practice, Overseas Development Institute
More Web Resources
Featured Community
Evidence Based Policy in Development Network (EBPDN)
EBPDN is a growing professional network that emerged out of the Civil
Society Partnership Programme at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), UK. This programme aims
to establish a worldwide community of practice for think tanks, policy research institutes and
similar organizations working in international development, with a view to promoting more
evidence-based and pro-poor development policies. Information available on the EBPDN website
includes the latest resources in this area; a directory of training and advisory expertise;
discussion forums and a partnership brokering area.
Communities of practice on linking research, policy and practice
