An introduction to ODI, RAPID and Evidence Based Policy

1. An introduction to ODI, RAPID and Evidence Based Policy

2. Overseas Development Institute • Britain’s 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: www.odi.org.uk

3. RAPID Programme • Research • Research-Policy Links • Communications • Knowledge Management • Advisory work • Workshops and seminars • Evaluations • CSO Partnership Programme www.odi.org.uk/rapid

4. Our Goal “If we want to change the world, we must first understand it.” Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General 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.

5. 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.

6. Rationale Evidence can help • Identify issues / problems for policymakers • Prioritize between issues • Develop strategies • Improve effectiveness of interventions • Assess whether a strategy is working

7. 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)

8. Evidence-Based Policy – key texts • Modernizing Government, UK Cabinet Office • The Magenta Book:Guidance Notes on Policy Evaluation, Chief Social Researcher’s 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

9. SBS: Use of Evidence

10. 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.

11. …parallel universes? Policy makers in the UK cannot be evidence-based because they operate in an environment characterised by : • Speed • Superficiality • Spin • Secrecy • Scientific Ignorance Vincent Cable (MP, UK): www.odi.org.uk/RAPID/Meetings/Evidence

12. 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

13. HIV Prevalence Source: UNAIDS

14. Any Questions?