Knowledge, Policy and Power in International Development: A Practical Guide

✍ Scribed by Harry Jones; Nicola A. Jones; Louise Shaxson; David Walker

• Publisher: Policy Press
• Year: 2012
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 226
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book presents an academically rigorous yet practical guide to efforts to understand how knowledge, policy and power interact to promote or prevent change.It offers a power analysis perspective on the knowledge-policy process, illustrated with rich empirical examples from the field of international development, combined with practical guidance on the implications of such an approach. It provides ways to identify and address problems that have hampered previous attempts to improve the space between knowledge and policy; such as difficulties in analysing political context, persistent asymmetric relationships between actors, ignorance of the contributions of different types of knowledge, and misconceptions of the roles played by intermediary organisations. Most importantly, the book gives readers the ability to develop strategies for negotiating the complexity of the knowledge-policy interface more effectively, so as to contribute to policy dialogues, influence policy change, and implement policies and programmes more effectively.The authors focus on the dynamics of the knowledge-policy interface in international development; offering novel theoretical insights and methodological approaches that are applicable to a broader array of policy arenas and their audiences, including academics, practitioners and students.

✦ Table of Contents

Knowledge, policy andpower in internationaldevelopment
Contents
List of boxes, figures and tables
Boxes
Figures
Tables
List of acronyms
Glossary
Acknowledgments
1. Navigating the knowledge–policy landscape
Understanding the links between knowledge, policy and power in development
The key contributions of this book
Organisation of the book
2. Mapping political context
Defining political context
Unpacking political context mapping frameworks
Mapping knowledge–policy linkages across political contexts
Implications for knowledge–policy interactions and managing power relations
Conclusion
3. Engaging actors
Understanding different actors’ behaviour at the knowledge–policy interface
Analysing actors’ behaviour: the interests, values and credibility framework
Engaging with actors’ interests, values and beliefs
Conclusion
4. Integrating different types of knowledge
Understanding the role of knowledge at the knowledge–policy interface
The power dynamics underlying the uptake of different types of knowledge in policy processes
Practical implications: using different types of knowledge in policy
Conclusion
5. Facilitating knowledge interaction
Knowledge at the boundary – some key terms
Knowledge interaction: six different functions
Planning, implementing and monitoring knowledge interaction
Conclusion
6. Conclusion and policy implications
Messages for knowledge producers
Messages for knowledge users
Messages for knowledge intermediaries
Messages for donors
Where next?
References
Index