Challenges of putting research into action

Oxfam-Monash Partnership Research that will “make a difference in people’s lives” Research conducted by academics and practitioners Idea that findings from the research will be used for academic purposes as well as more practical purposes through OAU and partners How can we make sure that research informs our work, influences policy and leads to improvements in the lives of the poor and vulnerable people that we work with?

What is research and how can it contribute to development? Research, Learning and Thinking Politics and Policy making Media, Advocacy, Networking, Evidence Links Political Context Who does the research? Who is involved or participates in the design, implementation & dissemination? Is the research credible with reliable methodology? Is it practical & are the findings practical? Are the findings communicated well and to the right audience? Does it meet expressed needs?

Putting research into practice: Our challenges Design of research project Situation of communities – crisis situations, time constraints Partner time, resources & ability to commit – plans and budgets Complexity of research make it difficult to pin point findings that can be used for learning & application Rapidly changing situation: keeping the relevance of the research

Putting research into practice: What we have done Regular communication between academics and practitioners during implementation Capacity building elements to research Use of participatory research methodology that can generate a learning process with communities & NGOs Feedback and validation processes with participating communities in local languages Presenting and disseminating research in variety of ways to different stakeholders

Putting research into practice: Our practical outputs to date…. Assessment of OAU development model in terms of accountability and citizenship Feeding research findings in to other Oxfam learning initiatives such as Active Citizenship and Accountability hub research Supporting development of a booklet by community activists on how to strengthen communities and conduct advocacy Planning further analysis with EC on experiences of working with community representatives and if this is the best approach Other plans for guidelines, work with NGOs to reflect on accountability practices…….