The Impact of Research on - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

The Impact of Research on

Development Policy and Practice:

This much we know

.

A Literature Review and the Implications for ICT4D

Dr. Roger Harris

Visiting Professor

Institute of Social Informatics and Technological Innovation

roger.harris@rogharris.org

http://www.rogharris.org/

@

HarrisrwhRogerSlide2

introductionSlide3

Higher Education Minister

Datuk

Seri Mohamed

Khaled Nordin“Universities should live up to their roles within the local community while making an impact in the international arena.”

What does he mean

by

impact

?

Universities must make an impactSlide4

What is the impact of research?

Academic Research

Research Impacts

Academic ImpactTraining

Publications

Citations

Socio-economic Impact

Capacity building

Socio-economic benefits

Public PolicySlide5

Research

Impacts

Academic Research

Research ImpactsAcademic Impact

Training

Publications

Citations

Socio-economic Impact

Capacity building

Socio-economic benefits

Public Policy

My question is, are we making any impact?Slide6

Two communities

Researchers

puzzle why there is resistance to policy change despite clear and convincing evidence;

generally do not see policy engagement as part of their role;

face strong organizational disincentives that dissuade them from engaging in outreach beyond the scientific community;

face structural barriers to engaging in knowledge translation activities.

Practitioners and Policy-makers

lament that researchers do not speak with one voice;

bemoan the inability of researchers to make their findings accessible and digestible in time for policy decisions;

lack confidence in their researchers;

regard research-based evidence as a minor factor when policies for development are formulated and practices shaped.

Researchers, practitioners, and policy makers live in parallel universes…

…with different values, languages, time-frames, reward systems and professional ties Slide7

Two ‘impacts’

Researchers’ impact

usually reflected by the impact factor of the journal in which the research report is published;

impact factor is a measure of the average number of citations that have been made to recently published papers;

frequently used as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field.

Policy and practitioners’ impact

for research to have any impact, the results must inform and shape policies and programmes, and be adopted into practice;

use or consideration of research findings for actual outcomes of social change;

emphasizes the need for economic and societal impacts.Slide8

The implications of two ‘impacts’

Academic ‘impact’

misrepresents

what impact is

Research institutions

discourage

impact-oriented research by prioritizing the number and frequency of publications in peer-reviewed

For policy research, academic peer review and citation counting are regarded as too

limited

for effective evaluation

The activities that make up the work of knowledge transfer pose

risks

to an academic career as they are not widely accepted as

legitimate

forms of scholarship.

Academic performance indicators have given rise to an identity representation of academics as

performers

;

Researchers are assessed on the basis of their ‘hits’ instead of on the substance of their work.

Performativity

stifles innovation; promotes superficiality and conformity Slide9

Themes in the literatureSlide10

IntentSlide11
Slide12

Information and

Communication

Technologies Slide13

IntermediariesSlide14

Policy Entrepreneurs

A policy entrepreneur is an individual who invests time and resources to

advance

a position or policy

It is a role for researchers wishing to

influence

policy. Slide15
Slide16

IncentivesSlide17

A

determining

factor for whether research-based and other forms of evidence are likely to be

adopted

by policy makers and practitioners

Research

is more likely to

contribute

to policy if the evidence fits within the

political

and institutional limits and pressures of policy makers, and if it resonates with their

assumptions

Researchers

must know and

understand

the

key

stakeholders

in the policymaking process, and understand the way in which the door can be opened to politicians and public interest

Knowledge

producers

need

to be more self-aware of the

political

nature of their engagement in policy processes

Political ContextSlide18

Demand

Understand the demand for research among policy-makers and practitioners, by, for example,

mapping

the existing information-demand and information-use environment.

The effectiveness and impact of research will be driven by

continuous

interactions between supply-drivers and demand-drivers

Researchers are advised to

participate

in activities that would stimulate demand for their outputs,

We know more about how to improve the

supply

of evidence than we do about how to improve the demand for itSlide19

Models of knowledge transferSlide20

EngagementSlide21

ImplicationsSlide22

Implications for ICT4D researchSlide23

lessonsSlide24

Lessons for research and

academic institutionsSlide25

Lessons for researchersSlide26

Lessons for journal editors and publishing organizationsSlide27
Slide28

ExamplesSlide29

ConclusionsSlide30

Framework for the

impact

of research

on policy and practice

Policy and practice

Intent

Comm-unication

ICTs

Interm-ediaries

Policy Entrep-reneurs

Networks

I

ncentives

Political Context

Demand

Engage-

mentSlide31

References

Adolph

, B., Jones, S.H., and Proctor, F., Learning Lessons on Research Communication and Uptake, Triple Line Consulting Ltd for DFID, 2010.

Brown, C., Are Southern Academics Virtually connected? GDNet, August 2012. http://depot.gdnet.org/cms/files//GDNet_study_of_adoption_of_web_2_tools_v2.pdf accessed 28 March 2013Carden, F., Knowledge To Policy: Making The Most Of Development Research, SAGE Publications Inc/IDRC, 2009. Court, J., and Maxwell, S., Policy Entrepreneurship for Poverty Reduction: Bridging Research and Policy in International Development, Journal of International Development, vol. 17, pp 713–725, 2005. Court, J. and Young, J., Bridging Research and Policy in International Development: An Analytical and Practical Framework, Development in Practice, Volume 16, Number 1, February 2006. Datta, A., Deliberation, Dialogue and Debate: Why Researchers need to Engage with others to Address Complex Issues, IDS Bulletin, Volume 43, Number 5, September 2012. de Vibe, M., Hovland I., and Young, J., Bridging Research and Policy: An Annotated Bibliography, ODI Working Paper 174, Sep 2002. DFID, Social Media Engagement; A Report of the Activities on the R4D Project, http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/pdf/outputs/Communication/R4D%20Social%20Media%20Engagement%20Report_HR.pdf, accessed 28 March 2013.Fisher E. and Holland, J.D., Social Development as Knowledge Building: Research as a Sphere of Policy Influence, Journal of International Development, vol. 15, pp 911–924, 2003. Gendron, Y., Constituting the Academic Performer: The Spectre of Superficiality and Stagnation in Academia, European Accounting Review, Vol.17 No.2, pp 97-127, 2008.

Gregory, N.F., Should Aid Donors Support Economic and Social Research? Journal of International Development, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp 233-242, 1992. Greijn, H., Linking Research-Based Evidence to Policy and Practice, Research, Policy and Practice. Capacity, Issue 35, December 2008. Harvey, B., Lewin, T. and Fisher, C., Is Development Research Communication Coming of Age? IDS Bulletin, Volume 43, Number 5, September 2012. Heeks, R., Do Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) Contribute to Development? Journal of International Development, vol. 22, pp 625–640, 2010.

Hovland

, I., Communication of Research for Poverty Reduction: A Literature Review. Overseas Development Institute, Working Paper 227, October 2003. Hovland, I., Making a difference: M&E of policy research, Overseas Development Institute, July 2007. Jacobson, N., Butterill, D. and Goering, P, Organizational Factors that Influence University-Based Researchers’ Engagement in Knowledge Transfer Activities, Science Communication, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp 246-259, March 2004. Jones, H., Jones, N., Shaxson, L. and Walker, D., Knowledge, Policy and Power in International Development: A Practical Framework for Improving Policy, ODI Background Note, January 2013.

Kleine

, D., ICT4WHAT? Using the Choice Framework to Operationalise the Capability Approach to Development, Journal of International Development, Volume 22, Issue 5, pp 674–692, 2010. Langou, G.D., Developing Capacities for Policy Influence, Research, Policy and Practice, Capacity, Issue 35, December 2008. Lewin, T. and Patterson, Z., Approaches to Development Research Communication. IDS Bulletin, Volume 43, Number 5, September 2012.

Masset, E., Mulmi, R. and Sumner, A., Does Research Reduce Poverty? Assessing the Welfare Impacts of Policy-Oriented Research in Agriculture, Institute of Development Studies, the University of Sussex Brighton, UK, March 2011.

Newman, K., Fisher, C. and Shaxson, L., Stimulating Demand for Research Evidence: What Role for Capacity-building? IDS Bulletin, Volume 43, Number 5, September 2012. O’Neil, M., What Determines the Influence that Research has on Policy-Making? Journal of International Development, vol. 17, pp 761–764, 2005. OECD, Opportunities, Challenges and Good Practices in International Research Cooperation between Developed and Developing Countries, April 2011. Ryan, J.G and Garrett, J.L., The Impact of Economic Policy Research: Lessons on Attribution and Evaluation for IFPRI, International Food Policy Research Institute, Oct 2003.

Saxena, N.C., Bridging Research and Policy in India, Journal of International Development, vol. 17, pp 737–746, 2005. Sen, K., Rates of Return to Research: A Literature Review and Critique, DFID, 2005. Shanley, P. and López, C., Out of the Loop: Why Research Rarely Reaches Policy Makers and the Public and What can be Done, BIOTROPICA 41(5), pp 535–544, 2009. Shaxson, L., Improving the Impact of Development Research through Better Research Communications and Uptake, Report of the

AusAID, DFID and UKCDS Funded Workshop: London, November 29th and 30th 2010, Stone, D. RAPID Knowledge: Bridging Research and Policy at the Overseas Development Institute, Public Administration and Development, v29, pp 303–315, 2009. Sumner, A., Ishmael-Perkins, N. and Lindstrom, J., Making Science of Influencing: Assessing the Impact of Development Research, IDS Working Paper 335, Sep 2009. Taylor, M., Bridging Research and Policy: A UK Perspective, Journal of International Development, vol. 17, pp 747–757, 2005. Weiss, C. Research for Policy’s Sake: The Enlightenment Function of Social Research, Research, Policy Analysis, 3:4 p.531, Fall, 1977. Wheeler, J., Creating Spaces for Engagement: Understanding Research and Social Change, Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability, 2007.

Williams, G., The Disciplining Effects of Impact Evaluation Practices: Negotiating the Pressures of Impact Within an ESRC–DFID Project, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, No. 37 pp 489–495, 2012.

Young, J., Research, Policy and Practice: Why Developing Countries are Different, Journal of International Development, vol. 17 pp 727–734, 2005.

Young, J., Impact of Research on Policy and Practice, Research, Policy and Practice, Capacity, Issue 35, December 2008.