La recherche et les politiques

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La recherche et les politiques

• Fred Carden
• Dakar
• 20 novembre 2003

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Then weve agreed that all the evidence isnt in,
and that even if all the evidence were in,it
still wouldnt be definitive.
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The IDRC Interest

• A major part of its work will be directed to
  research of the kind which may be utilized by
  decision-makers in the formulation and
  implementation of policies. 1968
• IDRC will foster and support the production,
  dissemination and application of research results
  leading to policies and technologies that enhance
  the lives of people in developing countries,
  2000-2005

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The IDRC Study

• What do we mean by influencing public policy?
• Where have we done so?
• What factors have contributed to and inhibited
  policy influence?

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Background Research

• Literature Review (Neilson)
• Framework Study (Lindquist)
• Evaluations Review
• PCR Review
• Program document Review
• History of Intent Study
• http//www.idrc.ca/evaluation/

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Field Work

• Rich case studies
• Purposive sample
• Across program areas and regions
• 25 cases, 65 projects, 55 million
• From 35,000 to 10 million in size
• 21 complete in draft form
• Related studies TIPS, EEPSEA, etc.

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Les Extrants

• Study on transnational networks
• Methodology design
• Framework
• Workshops
• Cross Case analysis
• Publication of Findings
• Background studies

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Mapping Influence

• You can be in more than one place at a time
• increasing complexity means that it is no longer
  a matter of a typology have have to be in more
  than one place and deliberately increase the
  complexity of your interactions

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• Power of mapping is that it allows you to think
  about multiple dimensions at the same time
• Location is not singular
• Destination is not always linear nor is it
  achieved through only one path
• Origin has many dimensions

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• How IDRC sees its role affects how it uses the
  map
• What does the map look like?
• This is a question for the analysis but we see
  some key elements emerging already

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Policy Influence Maps

• 1. Types of Policy Influence (nodes on the map)
• 2. Key factors (elements of the map)
• 3. Roles (ways to navigate)

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1. Types of Policy Influence

• Expanding policy capacities
• Broadening policy horizons
• Affecting policy regimes
• Developing new policy regimes

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Expanding policy capacities

• supporting new research
• development of new fields of research
• enhancing researcher capacities to work on
  problems
• enhancing researcher capacities to communicate
  knowledge and ideas to diverse audiences.

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Broadening Policy Horizons

• the means and relationships that translate
  research into knowledge which policy makers can
  use to change policy
• Increasing the stock of policy relevant knowledge
  
• Introducing new ways of thinking
• Making sure knowledge is available to policy
  makers in forms that make it possible for them to
  use it.

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Affecting Policy Regimes

• the actual use of research in the development of
  new laws, regulations or structures.
• It is the least common type of influence
  following from research

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Developing New Policy Regimes

• Related to Affecting Policy Regimes
• More opportunity for Research Influence
• Common and accepted ignorance about the regime
  leads to questionning and opens policy windows

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2. Key factors

• Relationships
• Researchers-research
• Researchers-researchers
• Researchers-policy makers
• Researchers-external environments
• Events
• Moments of vulnerability
• Signal changes
• Hot Spots
• Windows of opportunity

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3. Roles

• Researcher
• Policy maker
• IDRC Policy
• Program Officer
• IDRC Staff

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What have we found so far?

• Transnational Networks
• AFSSRN
• Asian Fisheries Social Sciences Research Network
• G-24
• Technical Support Services to the Group of 24
• LATN
• Latin American Trade Network

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Capacities

• In the face of some challenges, the larger
  countries have some capacity of their own to
  undertake research and analysis as a prelude to
  adopting positions. On the other hand, the
  smaller and medium sized countries that have no
  such capacity could benefit from a regional
  mechanism that would provide them with an ordered
  set of ideas on the main issues of the
  multilateral agenda (Macadar, 2003 15).

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Ownership

• In the G-24 case, under the leadership of the
  first Research Coordinator and with the support
  of IDRC, important steps were taken to increase
  G-24 ownership of the research program (Tussie,
  2003 9).

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Persistence

• This is an area where IDRC could also improve its
  performance, adopting an efficient strategy that
  takes into account that influencing policy is a
  rather protracted process after project
  completion (from Loayza, p. 19)

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Intent

• AFSSRN illustrates that transnational knowledge,
  and its use, has a cumulative effect.
• G-24 and LATN are examples of projects designed
  expressly to influence policy
• The challenge for the Centre is to understand
  more effectively what is the intent of the
  Centre in relation to influencing policy?

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Communication Dissemination

• we are asking researchers to be like Erin
  Brokovichyou have to have the legs, the looks,
  you have to be smart, you have to do the
  researchdissemination work, strategy work,
  publication workI said, come on, Im a
  researcher (LACRO workshop)
• This also posits the question are we willing and
  ready to fund and support these kinds of
  activities?

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Systems of Support

• the non-linear nature of the influence of most
  research on public policy
• The legacy of infrastructure-based project design
• The development of appropriate support systems
  and project management systems that ensure
  accountability but are also agile in their
  ability to seize opportunities as they emerge is
  not an easy undertaking

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Issues for the Centre

• Roles
• Does policy influence mean that we have projects
  focused on direct influence, on current
  development priorities, projects which anticipate
  development priorities, etc.?
• To what extent do we have to be able to claim
  policy influence in the short term?
• And to what extent does it have to relate to our
  current work?

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Timing not Trade-offs

• Trade-off between quality and influence
• There does not appear to be a trade-off
• Critical issue is rather one of timing one-off
  projects vs. Strategic long-term invesments which
  may only pay off in policy terms after we have
  moved on
• How do we ensure we capture these contributions?

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