CHANGING WORLDS The Impact of University Research

Changing Worlds: Impact and Innovation London, 13 October 2010 Dr Joe Devine, Centre for Development Studies, University of Bath Mr John Woolner, Chairman, Harewelle International Limited

Extreme Poverty Programme ( ) Challenge Fund working with partner NGOs Aim: to help 1 million lift themselves out of extreme poverty Core components: scale fund, innovation, lesson learning and advocacy

56 million still living in poverty and 35 million in extreme poverty 35 million extreme poor means Bangladesh’s development success story has been highly uneven and exclusionary Programme is ambitious and breaking new ground in development

Who are the extreme poor? Multiple interlocked disadvantages Reproduced over time and between generations Significantly female

Centre for Development Studies at Bath: Over 3 decades of action research and policy engagement seeking to devise effective poverty reduction mechanisms Impact derived from combination of experience and innovation, and felt at three connected levels

Beneficiary level impacts Evidence of direct improvements in the lives of individuals and households Example: CDS staff helped form 6,000 landless groups. These then sold water and irrigation services to better off farmers

Organisation level impacts Evidence that organisations or institutions have better capacity to engage with poverty issues Example: CDS staff directly supported the creation of a policy think tank which engaged in key national policy debates

Systemic level impacts Evidence of research being used to help shape wider aid priorities in Bangladesh Example: Work by CDS staff helping to start a foundation dedicated to human rights and good governance

Economic Empowerment of the Poorest Programme in its implementation infancy but already making good progress: 1. Beneficiary impact – on target to deliver livelihood support to extreme poor households

Economic Empowerment of the Poorest 2. Organisational impact – partner NGOs devising new approaches to target and support the extreme poor 3. Systemic impact – creation of country’s first All Parliamentary Group on Extreme Poverty

CHANGING WORLDS The Impact of University Research