An introduction to ODI, RAPID and Evidence Based Policy

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, Overseas Development Institute Britains leading development Think Tank £8m, 60 researchers (100 staff) Research / Advice / Public Debate Rural / Humanitarian / Poverty & Aid / Economics (HIV, Human rights, Water) DFID, Parliament, WB, EC Civil Society For more information see:

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, RAPID Programme Research Research-Policy Links Communications Knowledge Management Advisory work Workshops and seminars Evaluations CSO Partnership Programme

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, RAPID aims to help people to: Understand how policy processes work? Identify what the problems are. Work to improve the availability and use of evidence. If we want to change the world, we must first understand it. Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General Our Goal

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, Background Greater need for evidence due to …. –Opening up of policy space –Economic complexity due to globalization & liberalization But … –Policy processes remain unclear, unparticipatory, etc. –Gaps between formulation & implementation. –Research capacity remains weak in many countries. –Policy systems vary across the world. Researchers and policymakers still often seem to live in parallel universes.

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, Rationale Evidence can help Identify issues / problems for policymakers Prioritize between issues Develop strategies Improve effectiveness of interventions Assess whether a strategy is working

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, Getting Evidence (UK Govt.) …good policy making draws on all forms of evidence which include: expert knowledge; published research; existing statistics; stakeholder consultations; previous policy evaluations; the Internet; outcomes from consultations; costing of policy options; output from economic and statistical modelling. (Strategic Policy Making Team, 1999)

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, Evidence-Based Policy – key texts Modernizing Government, UK Cabinet Office The Magenta Book: Guidance Notes on Policy Evaluation, Chief Social Researchers Office Getting the Evidence, NAO Government Action Plan, Small Business Service Better Policy-Making, Bullock Evidence-based policy, Nutley Policy-based evidence, Sanderson Speaking Truth to Power, Bardach

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, SBS: Use of Evidence

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, Challenges of EBP Lack of awareness of the value. There is no evidence base to draw on! Policy processes are problematic (coherence, cosultation, etc) Implementation is problematic due to: –Lack of capacity –New types of accountability resisted by Ministers or risk averse civil servants.

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, …parallel universes? Speed Superficiality Spin Secrecy Scientific Ignorance Vincent Cable (MP, UK): Policy makers in the UK cannot be evidence-based because they operate in an environment characterised by :

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, The Opportunity The results of household disease surveys informed processes of health service reform which contributed to a 43 and 46 per cent reduction in infant mortality between 2000 and 2003 in two districts in rural Tanzania. IDRC TEHIP Project

RAPID Programme SMEPOL, Cairo, February, HIV Prevalence Source: UNAIDS

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