PEP RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

PEP Strategy and Guidance

Communicating research findings in order to inform and influence policy is one of the greatest challenges of the academic field. Over the past few years, PEP has devoted extensive resources to build its organizational expertise in terms of research communications, collecting information from several sources - institutions such as IDRC, GDN, ODI, i.e. experimented knowledge-brokers – and from past experiences of PEP-supported researchers in the process of policy influence. The main outcomes of this initiative are detailed in the new (2011) PEP Research Communication Strategy.

Therefore, when undertaking initiatives to contribute to poverty reduction in their home countries, PEP researchers can now rely on the Network’s support every step of the way; from the development of their research capacities and expertise, to the communication of their findings and policy recommendations to national stakeholders.

In order to assist researchers in building their policy influence plan - right from the design of their research proposals - PEP has synthesized all relevant information, advices and tips in one brief but highly informative “Guide” on “how to influence policy”.

NEW!   

On the occation of the 9th PEP general meeting in Cambodia (December 2011), a special workshop was held to provide attending researchers with some advice and guidance regarding the different aspects (steps, activities, tools, etc..) of development research communications and policy advocacy. The workshop presentation was prepared based on the references presented at the bottom of this page, and is posted below:

Workshop Presentation: "Research Communications & Policy Advocacy"

Also, the following videos are good examples of:

Video 1: how important it is for researchers to commit to dissemination of findings, beyond that of scientific journal publications, by illustrating the possible risks and consequences of not using appropriate communication strategies, and

Video 2: the kind of endeavours and initiatives that may be undertaken by development researchers in order to communicate findings for the best potential benefit of the concerned populations: "How do we make research available, accessible and applicable"

Finally, the following blog "On think tanks" often presents useful tips and forceful arguments in favor of research communications.  

Activities

The areas of activities in which researchers can benefit from PEP’s experience include:

  • Defining policy issues
  • Identifying relevant audiences (stakeholders, decision-makers, etc.)
  • Building networks
  • Consultation activities
  • Organizing national policy conferences
  • Interacting with mass media
  • Making policy briefs

PEP does not only encourage these initiatives, but also provides researchers with both technical and financial support in the following dissemination activities:

Finally, PEP researchers' findings are also dissmeminated through the Network's frequent newsletters (PEP-Talk), annual reports, and through a specially dedicated section of the Webite on "PEP Research Findings".

References:

For those interested in learning more about the lessons and challenges regarding research communications for evidence-based policymaking, we invite you to watch the following video, especially the second presentation given by IDRC Director of the Evaluation Unit, Fred Carden – which is of particular interest in the context of building a policy influence plan.

Video: IFPRI Conference on the “Challenges, Methods and Innovations in Assessing Policy Influence”  

And/or consult the following..

Documents:

Carden, Fred (2009), « Knowledge to Policy: Making the Most of Development Research », IDRC, SAGE publications, 209 p. (online)

Hovland, Ingie (2005), « Successful Communications: a Toolkit for Researchers and Civil Society Organisations », ODI Research and Policy in Development program (RAPID), ODI, London, 69 p. (online)

Start, Daniel and I. Hovland (2004), « Tools for Policy Impact: a Handbook for Researchers », ODI Research and Policy in Development, ODI, London, 64 p. (online)

Web Sources - Specialized Organisations:

Global Development Network: Research communications and Knowledge Management: http://cloud2.gdnet.org/cms.php?id=research_communication

Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Research and Policy in Development (RAPID) programme: http://www.odi.org.uk/work/programmes/rapid/default.asp

Special weblinks:

Find most of ODI-Rapid toolkits here: http://www.odi.org.uk/rapid/tools/toolkits/communication/tools.html

Find the Alignment, Interest and Influence Matrix (AIIM) tool guidance note here: http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/docs/6509.pdf



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