[Editor’s note: This post was written by Tanja Jakobi, Media analyst and researcher at CENTAR Public Policy Research Centre, Serbia. It is the ninth article of a series of reflections to share what facilitators and participants learned through P&I’s online course Doing policy relevant research, ran for the first time in the first quarter of 2016.] Let me start with one Serbian joke: “Have you read the book The Bridge Over the Drina?” (written by Ivo Andric, a Nobel Prize Wine

[Editor’s note: This post is part a series produced by Vanesa Weyrauch and Leandro Echt from Politics&Ideas to present the conceptual framework developed under the project “Going beyond ‘Context matters”, supported by the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP). For an overall synthesis of the whole project, visit our interactive product] In our recently launched series about how context at the public institution level affects the generat

[Editor’s note: This post is part of a series focused on sharing findings from the conceptual framework developed under the study “Going beyond “Context matters”, conducted by P&I and INASP. The presented framework intends to be a lens to help policymakers, researchers, practitioners and donors better define windows of opportunity in different public institutions to focus efforts on promoting better interaction between knowledge and policy. In a recent post, we have presented

By Waponi at flickr.com under CC It is interesting to reflect on the use of knowledge in the public sector or the different state organizations that are part of public administration, such as municipalities, utility companies, ministries and also public or state companies. However, it is unavoidable to debate the ways knowledge is poorly used and recognize the stakeholders taking part in its preparation and implementation. The use of knowledge implies a complex scenario. Reso

The Peruvian Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion coordinates efforts for the prioritization of public policies that benefit early childhood among the different governmental levels. In 2014, the National Multisectoral Commission for Early Childhood was created and it currently has a Performance Incentive Fund that is allocated throughout the country. The goal of this Fund is to contribute to achieving results regarding Early Childhood Development; besides, regional ev

A change that is becoming a reality during the first years of the 21st Century is the mass use information and communication technology in transforming old processes and methods so as to leverage human knowledge. A recent course developed by Politics & Ideas is a clear example of that — it has trained over 20 public professional in the region through Internet-based technologies for the co-creation of knowledge so that they can improve their ability to use and promote the use

Several and different efforts are being conducted around the globe to promote the use of research in policy. P&I is permanently thinking about ways to contribute to a more fruitful interaction between knowledge and ideas emanating from it and policy. Yet, are we learning enough from those who are hardly working for this on the ground? At P&I we believe there is large and promising room to further systematize what policymakers are achieving (and challenges they are dealing wit

Lesson 1: factors involved in the use of evidence in the public sector – knowledge management There are several factors that influence the use of evidence in the public sector. At the Solidarity and Social Investment Fund (FOSIS) one of the most relevant factors is the informality of the knowledge management system. In my institution, we generate large quantities of knowledge; however, there is little knowledge circulation among work units, or it is stored and made available

I am currently working as head of transparency and strengthening of information systems projects for the Management and Evaluation area of the Office of Planning and Budgeting, Presidency of the Republic of Uruguay. Within the framework of this work I’d like to share two lessons from the “Leaders of change: developing Latin American policymakers’ capacity to promote the use of knowledge in policy” online course, developed by P&I during April and May 2015. The first lesson is

[Editor’s note: This post originally appeared at Practising Development, managed by the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP). It is part of a series produced by Vanesa Weyrauch and Leandro Echt from Politics&Ideas to share what we learn through the development and conduction of an online course aimed at building the capacity of Latin American policy makers to promote the use of knowledge in policy making.] Selecting a promising group o

If we focus on the key players within the state structure, it is worth mentioning that most public policies are designed by the Executive Branch (more than by the legislative power) and that those in charge are often technocrats working in public administration (more than “politicians”). Among them, standing secretaries, staff officials, special advisors, writers, political analysts, technical consultants, researchers hired by the government, etc. stand out. But while the rol

Information is not incorporated to public policy processes exclusively by experts (whether individuals or organization) or public servants. Far from an elitist view of this process, it is also necessary to consider citizens as significant players when thinking about the processes tending to incorporate information to the decision-making process. On one hand, they become more relevant as users of the information generated by governments and other players. The information provi

Courtesy of phanlop88 at www.freedigitalphotos.com [Editor’s note: This post is part of a series produced by Leandro Echt and Vanesa Weyrauch from Politics&Ideas to share what we learn through the development and conduction of an online course targeted to policymakers in Latin America on the use of research in policy. The first part of this post focused on using internal information.] Beyond the state, there is a wide range of players actively producing information that may b

By Tontographer en flickr.com under CC license [Editor’s note: This post is part of a series produced by Leandro Echt and Vanesa Weyrauch from Politics&Ideas to share what we learn through the development and conduction of an online course targeted to policymakers in Latin America on the use of research in policy. The second part of this post will focus on using external information.] When facing the need for information, the first question a policymaker must ask him/herself

What is the role that evidence generated by research may have on the policy process based on your experience? In Uruguay the reality is uneven. On the one hand, there are ministries that have relied strongly on consultants and universities. For example, the Ministry of Social Development maintains fluid links with the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty Economics of the University of the Republic, from where come many of its officials. Especially in the field of analys

[Editor’s note: this post announces the call for applications for an online course targeted to policymakers in Latin America on the use of knowledge in policy. Check the Terms of Reference. Nota del editor: este artículo anuncia la convocatoria a aplicaciones para un curso en línea destinado a funcionarios latinoamericanos sobre el uso de conocimiento en políticas. Acceda a los Términos de Referencia.] Are you interested in promoting the use of information and research in pub

Incorporating evidence into decision making processes is not a  linear task. On the one hand, evidence coexists with other various factors involved in decision-making: contingencies, experience and expertise, lobbying, judgment, values, habits and traditions, resources; see Lee, 2004). On the other hand, and although there is a wide spectrum of politicians and officials willing to consider the evidence as part of their work, the use of information generated both by the State